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Psychology

Catherine Costigan

Picture of UVic professor Catherine Costigan

Professor

Psychology

Status:
On sabbatical
Contact:
Office: COR A170 250-721-7529
Credentials:
PhD (Michigan)
Area of expertise:
Clinical psychology
Related links:

Interests

  • family psychology
  • immigration and acculturation
  • mental health and mental illness
  • well-being in the context of structural risk and oppression

Faculty bio

My research and clinical interests focus on children, youth and their families. My goal is to enhance our understanding of the strengths that family members bring to navigating challenging circumstances and the experiences that create risk for mental health problems among family members.

I also explore ways in which relationships within families affect and are affected by individual and contextual challenges. I have studied these issues among different populations, including families raising children with intellectual disabilities and families who are new to Canada.

My recent research focuses on how immigrant parents support their adolescents' identity development, how acculturation affects immigrant parents' co-parenting, and the psychological impact on youth who translate for their parents.

We study family dynamics and mental health in the context of Canadian settlement, examining the effects of acculturation differences and experiences of discrimination. Additionally, we explore strengths-based approaches to supporting immigrant and refugee families' well-being through community workshops that enhance resilience, positive parenting and empowerment.

In collaboration with the Victoria Immigrant and Refugee Centre Society, we identify best practices for social integration and address social inequities. Separately, we investigate community-based treatment for severe mental health conditions, focusing on organizational supports for secondary traumatic stress and the role of police in Assertive Community Treatment teams, aiming to improve practices for vulnerable individuals at the intersection of mental health and law enforcement.

Representative publications

Quan, C., Clark, N., Costigan, C.L., Murphy, J., Li, M., David, A., Ganesan, S., Guzder, J. and Cross, B. (2023). . BMJ Open, 13(5), e069753–e069753.

Montiel, A., Quan, C., & Costigan, C.L. (2023). . Canadian Journal of Behavioural Science, 55(1), 56–67.
 

Costigan, C.L. (2022). . In Mental Health Assessment, Prevention and Intervention (pp. 143–159). Springer International Publishing.

Costigan, C.L., Taknint, J.T., Mudryk, E. and Al Qudayri, B. (2022). . Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 28(3), 338–348.