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Distinguished Research Professor BGSU Clinical Psychology
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Biography
I have specialized in theory and empirical research on relational spirituality, or specific religious/spiritual (R/S) cognitions and behaviors about close interpersonal relationships that can help or harm individual and relational health. I have written extensive integrative reviews on the science of religious/spiritual factors and coupling, uncoupling, and parenting across diverse families. I created the Relational Spirituality Framework to organize and synthesize such studies. I also wrote a book on children’s spiritual and religious development. I have authored, co-authored, or mentored empirical studies on the roles that specific R/S factors play for intimate relationships, marriage, the transition to parenthood, parenting, couples' sexual relationships, romantic breakups and divorce, friendships, AA sponsorship, and individuals' personal well-being. These R/S factors include sanctification, spiritual intimacy, desecration, sacred loss, spiritual one-upmanship, positive R/S coping, and negative R/S coping (aka religious/spiritual struggles). Relational spirituality also encompasses how peoples' felt relationships with God and their faith communities inform their close relationships with other people.
Current research interests focus on relationship breakups and dissolutions, single parenthood, religious exiting, and religious/spiritual coping of sexual and gender minorities or sexually abused adolescents. In a 2022 Stanford University report, I was ranked among the top 2% of scientists worldwide.
Illustrative Publications
See CV for full list of publications; some publications can be accessed by clicking on links throughout this web page.
Selected Recent Publications
Flint, D. D., & Mahoney, A. (2024). Spiritual intimacy and the quality of dating relationships.. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rel0000532
McGraw, J. S., Skidmore, S. J., Lefevor, G. T., Docherty, M., & Mahoney, A. (2023). Affirming and nonaffirming religious beliefs predicting depression and suicide risk among Latter-Day Saint sexual minorities. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(3), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000659
McGraw, J. S., McManimen, S. Chinn, J., Harrison D. Angoff, H. D., Docherty, M., & Mahoney, A. (2022). Adverse childhood experiences, suicidal/self-harming thoughts, and suicide attempts among LGB and Heterosexual Utahns. Journal of Homosexuality, 69 (7), 1141-1159. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2021.1909396
McGraw, J. S., Peer, S. O., McManimen, S. Chinn, J. & Mahoney, A. (2022). Comparison of lifetime suicide attempts and recent suicidal/self-harming thoughts among sexual minority and heterosexual Utahns: Results from a population-based survey. Archives of Suicide Research, 26(2), 961-967 DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2020.1806159
Mahoney, A., Wong, S., Pomerleau, J. M, & Pargament, K. I. (2021). Sanctification of diverse aspects of life and psychosocial functioning: A meta-analysis of studies from 1999-2019. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/rel0000354
Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., & DeMaris, A. (2021). Spiritual intimacy, spiritual one-upmanship, and marital conflict across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 35(4), 552-558. DOI: 10.1037/fam0000795 Epub 2020 Aug 13.
Selected Major Reviews of Literature
Mahoney, A. (2021). The science of children’s religious and spiritual development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. doi:10.1017/9781108874342
Mahoney, A. & Boyatzis, C. J. (2019). Parenting, religion, and spirituality. M. Bornstein (Ed.), Handbook of Parenting (3ed), pp 516-552. NY, NY: Routledge.
Mahoney, A. (2013). The spirituality of us: Relational spirituality in the context of family relationships. In K. I. Pargament, J. J. Exline, & J. W. Jones (Eds.), APA handbook of psychology, religion, and spirituality (Vol. 1): Context, theory, and research (pp. 365–389). American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14045-020
Mahoney, A. (2010). Religion in families 1999-2009: A relational spirituality framework. Journal of Marriage and Family, 72,(4) 805 – 827. DOI: 10.1111/j.1741-3737.2010.00732.x
Hernandez, K. M., Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I. (2013). The sacred dance between sexuality and religion: Scientific insights from the 21st century. In D. L. Tolman & L. Diamond (Eds.) The American Psychological Association's handbook of sexuality and psychology (pp. 425-447). Washington, DC: American Psychological Association. doi.org/10.1037/14194-013.
Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., Swank, A., & Tarakeshwar, N. (2001). Religion in the home in the 1980s and 90s: A meta-analytic review and conceptual analysis of religion, marriage, and parenting. Journal of Family Psychology, 15, 559-596.
Relational Spirituality Framework
The Relational Spirituality Framework (graphic representation) synthesizes empirical findings of global religious/spiritual markers and delineates specific religious/spiritual processes that can facilitate or undermine close relationship functioning. Analogous to Pargament and Mahoney’s (2017) conception of spirituality as the discovery, conservation, and transformation of people perceive as sacred, the Relational Spirituality Framework (Mahoney, 2010; 2013) heuristically sorts the R/S and couple/family research literature into three recursive, overlapping stages: (a) formation (i.e., creating and structuring a relationship), (b) maintenance (i.e., protecting an established relationship), and (c) transformation (i.e., reforming or exiting a dysfunctional relationship). In addition, the framework differentiates specific religious/spiritual strengths or struggles that could emerge in individuals’ relationships with (a) perceived supernatural figures (e.g., deity, immortal ancestor), (b) other individuals (e.g., romantic partner, spouse, child), and (c) the religious community (e.g., religious leaders and coreligionists). Each type of struggle has the potential to shape close dyadic relationships (e.g., adult unions, parent–child relationships).
Relational Spirituality, Secularity & Psychology Research Team:
R-SSPiRiT Lab
Our research team has focused on the relational spirituality and links to relational and individual well-being, for better and worse. Dr. Mahoney's new lines of research will center on romantic breakups/intimate relationship dissolutions as well as solo parenting, along with continuing research on religious exiting. Dr. Mahoney is interested in prospective graduate students for AY 2025-2026 and thereafter who have a strong interest in the intersection of relational spirituality with romantic relationship breakups and\or with solo parenting for their master thesis and dissertation projects, and related projects. Scroll down for descriptions of current graduate students' projects and see projects that are underway that focus on religious exiting (i.e., dissolution of relationship with a religious community).
If you are interested in applying to be mentored by Dr. Mahoney and be involved in the R-SSPiRiT Lab, you can find information about applying to BGSU’s APA approved clinical psychology PhD program at: https://www.bgsu.edu/arts-and-sciences/psychology/graduate-program/prospective-students.html
See this APA Div 36 newsletter article on Dr. Mahoney's encouragement and advice as a mentor about pursuing relational spirituality
In 2024, Dr. Mahoney was awarded the American Psychological Association's Division 36 Sexton Mentoring Award.
Please note, the deadline for applications each year is December 1st for the following academic year.
Current Graduate Students
Academic Yr 2024-25
Lindsey Chou, MA
BGSU Master's Thesis: Appraisals of Religious Exit as a Sacred Loss, Desecration, or Sanctified Transition and Post-Exit Psychosocial Adjustment
More about Lindsey:
Lindsey Chou is interested in religious and spiritual distress, and the psychological and social outcomes of such distress. Her master's thesis will focus how interpreting one's prior religious exit from a religious community as a sacred loss, desecration, and/or sanctification on adjustment is tied to current psychological distress and well-being.
Jesse Ojeda, MA
BGSU Master's Thesis: Undergraduates’ Religious/Spiritual Coping with Exiting Evangelical Christian Traditions and Psychosocial Adjustment
More about Jesse:
Jesse’s research interests broadly concern religion, spirituality, relationships with higher powers and religious communities, and psychosocial adjustment outcomes. His master’s thesis will focus on how emerging adults utilize positive and negative religious coping mechanisms, specifically considering God concepts/divine relationships, to process religious exiting experiences. Previously, he has participated in community-based psychoeducational programs to address mental health disparities in African American communities. Jesse’s clinical interests involve using spiritually informed psychotherapies and interventions techniques to help client’s cope with spiritual and secular issues.
Christian Ishak, MA
More about Christian TBA:
Aviva Satz-Kojis, BA
More about Aviva TBA:
Prior Grad Students
Name, dissertation, 1-2 sample journal publications with grad student (not all listed, see CV for full list of publications)
James McGraw, PhD 2024
Post Doctoral Scholar - STRIVE
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
The Ohio State University College of Medicine
Dissertation: A test of the three-step theory of suicide (3st) among a sample of sexual minority Latter-day Saints
Peer Reviewed Publications: McGraw, J. S., Skidmore, S. J., Lefevor, G. T., Docherty, M., & Mahoney, A. (2023). Affirming and nonaffirming religious beliefs predicting depression and suicide risk among Latter-Day Saint sexual minorities. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 70(3), 293–306. https://doi.org/10.1037/cou0000659
McGraw, J. S., McManimen, S. Chinn, J., Harrison D. Angoff, H. D., Docherty, M., & Mahoney, A. (2022). Adverse childhood experiences, suicidal/self-harming thoughts, and suicide attempts among LGB and Heterosexual Utahns. Journal of Homosexuality, 69 (7), 1141-1159. DOI: 10.1080/00918369.2021.1909396
Jay Chinn, PhD., 2023
Clinical Child Psychologist, Behavioral Health Pavilion, Nationwide Children’s Hospital
Clinical Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, The Ohio State University
2023 Postdoctoral Fellow, Nationwide Children's Hospital Columbus, OH
Dissertation: Religious and Spiritual Coping with Parental Psychospiritual and Psychological Maltreatment of Transgender and Gender Diverse Individuals
Daniel Flint, PhD, 2022
Assistant Professor and Pediatric Psychologist
Baylor College of Medicine and Texas Children's HospitalClinical Child Psychologist, Behavioral Health Pavilion, Nationwide
Dissertation:
Dating Couples' Spiritual Intimacy Predicts Relationship Satisfaction and Commitment Beyond Emotional Intimacy
Peer-reviewed publication: Flint, D. D., & Mahoney, A. (2024). Flint, D. D., & Mahoney, A. (2024). Spiritual intimacy and the quality of dating relationships.. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality. Advance online publication. https://dx.doi.org/10.1037/rel0000532
Allison Hart, PhD 2021
Collective Light Psychotherapy Private Practice - San Fransciso area
Pathways Between Relational Spiritual Processes, Aa Sponsorship Alliance, and Sponsee Recovery Goals
Master's thesis: Soul Sisters and Brothers: Sanctification and Spiritual Intimacy as Predictors of Friendship Quality between Close Friends in a College Sample
Julie Pomerleau, PhD 2020
Sacred or Profane? Emerging Adults’ Sanctification and Desecration of their Non-Marital Relational Sexuality and Links to Relational, Psychological, and Spiritual Adjustment
Peer-reviewed publication: Pargament, K. I., Oman, D., Pomerleau, J. M., Mahoney, A. (2017). Some contributions of a psychological approach to the study of the sacred. Religion, 47, 718-744. DOI: 10.1080/0048721X.2017.1333205.
Emily Padgett, PhD, 2016
Bowling Green
Dissertation: Relational Spirituality and Trajectories of Observed Emotional Intimacy During the Transition to Parenthood
Peer-reviewed publication: Padgett, E., Annette Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., & DeMaris, A (2019). Marital sanctification and spiritual intimacy predicting married couples’ observed intimacy skills across the transition to parenthood. Religions, 10, 177-193. DOI: 10.3390/rel10030177
Layal Abadi, PhD, 2016
Dissertation: College Students' Spiritual Resources and Struggles in Coping with Intimate Partner Verbal Aggression: A Longitudinal Study
Book chapter: Mahoney, A., Abadi, L., & Pargament, K. I. (2015). Tolerate or transform? Exploring women's spiritual struggles and resources to cope with intimate partner aggression. Invited chapter for J. A. Johnson (Ed.) Religion and men's violence against women (pp. 45-59. New York, NY: Springer Publishers
Anna (Hawley) Harper, PhD 2015
Professor of Psychology, Mount Vernon Nazarene University
Dissertation: A Longitudinal Analysis of Psychosocial Coping, Religious/Spiritual Appraisals, and Religious/Spiritual Coping in Predicting College Students’ Adjustment to Non-Marital Breakup
Peer-reviewed publication: Hawley, A. R., Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., & Gordon, A. K. (2015). Sexuality and spirituality as predictors of distress over a romantic breakup: Mediated and moderated pathways. Spirituality in Clinical Practice, 2 (2), 145 – 159. DOI: 10.1037/scp0000034
Lisa (Grimes) Linder, PhD 2012
Associate Professor San Diego State University
Dissertation: The Role of Parental Self-efficacy and Parental Knowledge in Parent-Infant Interactions and Infant Behavior during the Transition to Parenthood
Peer-reviewed publication: Mahoney, A., LeRoy, M., Kusner, K., Padgett, E., & Grimes, L. (2013). Addressing parental spirituality as part of the problem and solution in family psychotherapy. D. F. Walker & W. Hathaway (Ed.) Spiritually oriented interventions in child and adolescent psychotherapy, (pp. 65-88). Washington DC: American Psychological Association.
Katherine Kusner, PhD 2012
Dissertation: Longitudinal Effects of Self-reported Marital Strengths on Couples' Observed Conflictual Interactions Across the Transition to Parenthood
Peer-reviewed publication: Kusner, K., Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., & DeMaris, A. (2014). Sanctification and spiritual intimacy predicting observed marital interactions across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology, 28, 604-614 DOI: 10.1037/a0036989
Michelle LeRoy, PhD 2011
Staff psychologist - Mayo Clinic Health System, MI
Dissertation: Predictors of Coparenting: Infant Temperament, Infant Gender, and Hostile-Reactive Parenting
Peer-reviewed publication: LeRoy, M., Mahoney, A., Gullian, R., Boxer, P. & Fang, Q. (2014). Parents who hit and scream: Effects of severe physical aggression and verbal aggression on clinic-referred adolescents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 38, 893-901. DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.10.017
Krystal Hernandez-Kane, PhD 2010
Dissertation: Using Spiritual Resources to Prevent Declines in Sexuality among First-Time Parents
Peer-reviewed publication: Hernandez-Kane, K. M., & Mahoney, A. (2018). Sex through a sacred lens: Longitudinal effects of sanctification of marital sexuality. Journal of Family Psychology, 32(4), 425-434. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/fam0000392
Elizabeth (Krumrei) Mancuso, PhD 2008
Professor of Psychology at Pepperdine University
Dissertation: A longitudinal analysis of the role of religious appraisals and religious coping in adults' adjustment to divorce
Peer-reviewed publication: Krumrei, E.J., Mahoney, A., & Pargament, K. I. (2011). Spiritual stress and coping model of divorce: A longitudinal study of a community sample. Journal of Family Psychology, 25, 973-985. DOI:10.1037/a0025879.
Heidi (Ihrke) Warner, PhD 2009
Private practice, Des Moines Iowa
Dissertation: Generational Curse? Spiritual Appraisals, Spiritual Struggles and Risk Factors for the Intergenerational Transmission of Divorce
Peer-reviewed publication: Warner, H. L., Mahoney, A. & Krumrei, E. J. (2009). When parents break sacred vows: The role of spiritual appraisals, coping and struggles for young adults' adjustment to parental divorce. Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 1, 233-248.
Staff psychologist - Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services
Dissertation: The sanctification of parenting and adoption among
special needs adoptive parents
Gina (Yanni) Brelsford, PhD 2003
Professor of Psychology, Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg
Dissertation: Religious and secular dyadic variables and their relation to parent-child relationships and college students' psychological adjustment/
Peer-reviewed publication: Brelsford, G. M., & Mahoney, A. (2009). Relying on God to resolve conflict: Theistic mediation and triangulation in relationships between college students and mothers, The Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 28, 291-301
Brelsford, G. M., & Mahoney, A. (2008). Spiritual disclosure between older adolescents and their mothers. Journal of Family Psychology, 22, 62-70.
Rebecca (Lakin) Gullian, PhD 2003
Professor of Psychology, Gwynedd Mercy University
Dissertation: The association between the parenting alliance and parenting behaviors in families of 2-to-17 year olds.
Lakin, R. & Mahoney, A. (2006). Empowering youth to change their world: Identifying key components of a community service program to promote positive development. Journal of School Psychology, 44, 513-531.
Jamie Wieber, PhD 2002
Staff psychologist - Pine Rest Christian Mental Health Services
Dissertation: Assessing positive and negative parent-child interactions: Extending findings from parent global self-reports to child reports and parent telephone interviews.
Heidi Bobson, PhD 2002
Private practice
Amy Coffield Burbage, PhD 2002
Private practice - Indianapolis
Lisa Query, PhD 2000
Private practice - Williamsburg VA
Terri Lewis, PhD 1999
Associate Professor, Pediatrics-Child Abuse and Neglect/Kempe Center
Peer-reviewed publication: Mahoney, A. , Donnelly. W. O., Boxer, P., & Lewis, T. (2003). Marital and severe parent-to-adolescent physical aggression in clinic-referred families: Co-occurrence and links to child behavior problems. Journal of Family Psychology, 17, 3-19.
Margaret Barham, PhD 1999
Psychologist & Consultant at State of NC Disability Determination Service
Post Doctoral Scholar - STRIVE
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
The Ohio State University College of Medicine