Sophia Magro
(she/her/hers)
- Cindy Whitehead Nord '78 Assistant Professor in Child Psychology
Education
- PhD, Developmental Psychopathology and Clinical Science, University of Minnesota, 2024
- MA, Developmental Psychology, University of Minnesota, 2019
- BA, Psychology and Music, St. Olaf College, 2016
Biography
My research is informed by nearly a decade of experience as a practicing clinician across clinical outpatient, primary care, and preschool settings. I most recently served as a postdoctoral clinician at the Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, where I specialized in early childhood diagnostic assessment and evidence-based, trauma-informed interventions for young children and their families.
Fall 2026
Child and Adolescent Psychopathology — PSYC 203
Seminar in Children’s Mental Health — PSYC 402
Supervised Research in Psychology (SSCI) - Full — PSYC 510F
Supervised Research in Psychology (SSCI) - Half — PSYC 510H
Spring 2027
Child and Adolescent Psychopathology — PSYC 203
Advanced Methods in Longitudinal Research — PSYC 319
Zulauf-McCurdy, C. A., Magro, S. W., Ilyumzhinova, R., Clifton, R., Basu, H., Spencer, A. E., & Sibley, M. (online first). Discovering strategies to support families and educators in joining together to implement interventions for disruptive behavior in preschool: Innovation tournaments. Early Childhood Education Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/
Magro, S. W., Berry, D., Palmer, A. R., & Roisman, G. I. (2026). Teacher–student relationship quality and social, academic, and behavioral adjustment are associated within and between persons from kindergarten to grade 6. Developmental Psychology, 62(2), 475-491. https://doi.org/10.1037/
Bleil, M. E., Roisman, G. I., Hamilton, D. T., Gregorich, S. E., Magro, S. W., Appelhans, B. M., Booth-LaForce, C., & Pianta, R. C. (2025). Mediators of the association between child education and adult health. JAMA Network Open, 8(5), e258855. https://doi.org/10.1001/
Magro, S. W., Mondi, C. F., *Rihal, T. K., & Carlson, E. A. (2024). Site and provider characteristics associated with the use of exclusionary discipline in Minnesota early care and education sites. Early Education and Development, 36(1), 129-144. https://doi.org/10.1080/
Magro, S. W., DeJoseph, M. L., Pianta, R. C., & Roisman, G. I. (2024). Using moderated nonlinear factor models to adjust for differential item functioning in the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale from kindergarten to Grade 6. Journal of School Psychology, 105(101324), 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.
Bleil, M. E., Roisman, G. I., Hamilton, D. T., Magro, S. W., Appelhans, B. M., Gregorich, S. E., Booth-LaForce, C., & Pianta, R. C. (2024). What aspects of education are health protective? A life course examination of early education and adulthood cardiometabolic health in the 30-year Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development (SECCYD). BMC Public Health, 24(1092), 1-17. https://doi.org/10.1186/
Magro, S. W., Hobbs, K. A., Li, P. H., *Swenson, P., Riegelman, A., Rios, J. A., & Roisman, G. I. (2024). Meta-analytic associations between the Student-Teacher Relationship Scale and students’ social competence with peers. School Psychology Review, 53(5), 496–522. https://doi.org/10.1080/
Nivison, M. D., Caldo, P. D., Magro, S. W., Raby, K. L., Groh, A. M., Booth-LaForce, C., Vandell, D. L., Fraley, R. C., Carlson, E. A., Simpson, J. A., & Roisman, G. I. (2023). The predictive validity of the Strange Situation Procedure: Evidence from registered analyses of two landmark longitudinal studies. Development and Psychopathology, 37(1), 147-163. https://doi.org/10.1017/
Mondi, C. F., Magro, S. W., *Rihal, T. K., & Carlson, E. A. (2023). Burnout and perceptions of child behavior among childcare professionals. Early Childhood Education Journal, 52, 1803-1814. https://doi.org/10.1007/
Magro, S. W., Nivison, M. D., Englund, M. M., & Roisman, G. I. (2023). The quality of early caregiving and teacher-student relationships in grade school independently predict adolescent academic achievement. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 47(2), 158-168. https://doi.org/10.1177/
Eller, J., Magro, S. W., Roisman, G. I., & Simpson, J. A. (2022). The predictive significance of fluctuations in early maternal sensitivity for secure base script knowledge and relationship effectiveness in adulthood. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 39(10), 3044-3058. https://doi.org/10.1177/
Kunkel, J. J., Magro, S. W., Bleil, M. E., Booth-LaForce, C., Vandell, D. L., Fraley, R. C., & Roisman, G. I. (2022). Early maternal sensitivity and markers of physical health: Enduring or transient associations from childhood to adulthood? Developmental Psychology, 58(12), 2252–2263. https://doi.org/10.1037/
Mondi, C. F., *Rihal, T. K., Magro, S. W., *Kerber, S., & Carlson, E. A. (2022). Childcare providers’ views of challenging child behaviors, suspension, and expulsion: A qualitative analysis. Infant Mental Health Journal, 43(5), 695-713. https://doi.org/10.1002/imhj.
Waters, T. E. A., Magro, S. W., Alhajeri, J., Yang, R., Groh, A. M., Haltigan, J. D., Holland, A. S., Steele, R., Bost, K. K. F., Owen, M. T., Vaughn, B. E., Booth-LaForce, C., & Roisman, G. I. (2021). Early child care experiences and attachment representations at age 18 years: Evidence from the NICHD Study of Early Child Care and Youth Development. Developmental Psychology, 57(4), 548-556. https://doi.org/10.1037/
Magro, S. W., Fraley, R. C., & Roisman, G. I. (2020). Early maternal sensitivity and teacher-student relationship quality across grade school: Enduring or transient associations? Child Development, 91(4), 883-901. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.
Magro, S. W., Utesch, T., Dreiskämper, D., & Wagner, J. (2019). Self-esteem development in middle childhood: Support for sociometer theory. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 43(2), 118-127. https://doi.org/10.1177/
Reynolds, A. J., Magro, S. W., Ou, S.-R., & Eales, L. (2019). Do parent involvement and school quality predict adult smoking? Findings from an urban cohort. Preventive Medicine, 127(105768), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.