ANNETTE MAHONEY

Distinguished Research Professor, Department of Psychology, Clinical Psychology
B.A., Rice University;
M.A., Ph.D., University of Houston, 1992

Phone: (419) 372-0282
Email: amahone@bgsu.edu
Office: Room 351, Psychology Building
Lab Page: R-SSPiRiT lab  Psychology of Spirituality and Relationships
CV: PDF

Taking Graduate Students? Yes
Sponsoring Undergraduate Research? Occasionally

Research Interests:

• Healing & thriving after romantic breakups & relationship dissolutions
• Psychology of religion and spirituality, especially as it applies to romantic relationship breakups, divorce, solo parenting, religious exiting, dating, couples’ relationships, marriage, pregnancy, sexuality, and other close relationships
• Relational spirituality
• Children’s religious and spiritual development

I specialize in theory and empirical research on relational spirituality which refers to ways religious/spiritual cognitions and behaviors about close relationships can impact individual and relational health, for better and worse, across the lifespan. My research team aims to disentangle specific ways religious/spiritual and secular resources and risk factors that can undermine or enhance the well-being of individuals as they strive to form and maintain healthy relationships and exit or reform dysfunctional relationships. This includes romantic unions and marriage, the transition to parenthood, parenting, couples' sexuality, romantic breakups and divorce, sexual abuse, interpersonal violence, and friendships. Key specific religious/spiritual factors include sanctification, spiritual intimacy, desecration and sacred loss, religious/spiritual one-upmanship, positive religious/spiritual coping & especially divine support, and religious/spiritual struggles & especially divine struggles. See BGSU’s The Psychology of Spirituality and Relationships website for scientific research on the helpful and harmful roles that being religious and/or spiritual can play in close relationships.

For more information about my R-SSPiRiT lab’s activities go to https://www.annettemahoneyphd.com/ Dr. Mahoney's future research will center on healing and thriving after romantic breakups/intimate relationship dissolutions as well as solo parenting. Dr. Mahoney is especially interested in prospective graduate students for AY 2025-2026 and thereafter who have a strong interest in the intersection of relational spiritualty with romantic breakups and solo parenting for their master thesis and dissertation projects, and related projects. You can also see descriptions of current graduate students' projects that are underway that focus on religious exiting (i.e., dissolution of relationship with a religious community or tradition and/or struggles in relationship with God).​ Dr. Mahoney will be continuing this research of research as well.

Lists of studies located for "Religion in families 1999-2009:  A relational spirituality framework"

Selected Publications:

Mahoney, A., Pargament, K. I., & DeMaris, A. (2020 online). Spiritual intimacy, spiritual one-upmanship, and marital conflict across the transition to parenthood. Journal of Family Psychology. DOI: 10.1037/fam0000795

McGraw, J. S., Chinn, J. & Mahoney, A. (2020 online). Historical, doctrinal, and empirical insights into latter-day saint sexual minorities’ psychological and interpersonal functioning. Journal of GLBT Family Studies, 1-28.

McGraw, J. S., Peer, S. O., McManimen, S. Chinn, J. & Mahoney, A. (2020). 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, 1-7. DOI: 10.1080/13811118.2020.1806159.

Courses Taught:

• PSYC 3080 Introduction to Clinical Psychology (undergraduate)
  
• PSYC 4060 Developmental Psychopathology (undergraduate)
• PSYC 6090/6100 Basic Clinical Skills (graduate)
  
• PSYC 7090 Advanced Clinical Research & Practice (graduate)
  
• PSYC 7800/7810 Advanced Child & Family Psychological Assessment (graduate)
  
• PSYC  7800/7810 Advanced Child & Family Therapy (graduate)