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Laura J Dixon

Associate Professor of Psychology

Dr. Dixon is a Clinical Psychologist who specializes in transdiagnostic processes contributing to anxiety disorders, misophonia, PTSD, OC-related disorders, and other relevant physical and mental health outcomes.

Research Interests

  1. The study of cognitive and emotional vulnerability factors (e.g., anxiety sensitivity, emotion regulation) that may exacerbate anxiety disorders and related disorders, such as misophonia, PTSD, stress, and OC-related disorders.
  2. Experimental psychopathology approaches to study transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying anxiety pathology.
  3. Examination of transdiagnostic processes that may contribute to conditions that commonly co-occur with anxiety-related disorders, such as health disorders (e.g., skin disease) and risk behaviors (e.g., substance use).
  4. The development, evaluation, and dissemination of brief, targeted anxiety interventions to optimize treatment outcomes and increase access to care.

Biography

Dr. Dixon joined the University of Mississippi’s Psychology Department as an assistant professor in the Fall of 2016. She obtained her PhD in Clinical Psychology at the University of Wyoming after completing her predoctoral internship/residency at the University of Mississippi Medical Center & G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center. Dr. Dixon completed a two-year postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Mississippi Medical Center where she specialized in adult and childhood anxiety and conducted studies to examine anxiety vulnerability factors in relevant health populations, including perinatal women and dermatology patients.

Her work emphasizes:

  1. the use of experimental psychopathology approaches to study transdiagnostic mechanisms underlying anxiety pathology;
  2. the systematic identification and evaluation of cognitive and emotional vulnerability factors (e.g., anxiety sensitivity, emotion regulation) that may exacerbate anxiety disorders and related health conditions, such as misophonia and dermatological disorders; and
  3. the development, evaluation, and dissemination of brief, targeted anxiety interventions to optimize treatment outcomes and increase access to care.

In 2020, Dr. Dixon’s grant “Advancing the Characterization and Assessment of Misophonia through Laboratory and Population-based Research” was funded by the Misophonia Research Fund. Her research endeavors have also been acknowledged through several awards, including the UM’s Dr. Mike L. Edmonds New Scholar Award (2021), UMMC’s W. Stewart Argras, M.D. Grand Rounds Speakership Award (2015), and ADAA’s Career Development Travel Award (2014). In addition, she received the Psychology Department’s Graduate Mentor Award in 2020.

Publications

Dixon, L. J., *Witcraft, S. M., & *Schadegg, M. J. (2021). COVID-19 anxiety and mental health among university students during the early phases of the U.S. pandemic. Journal of American College Health. DOI: 10.1080/07448481.2021.1923504

*Schadegg, M. J., *Clark, H. L., & Dixon, L. J. (2021). Evaluating anxiety sensitivity as a moderator of misophonia and dimensions of aggression. Journal of Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders, 30, 100657. DOI: 10.1016/j.jocrd.2021.100657

Dixon, L. J., *Witcraft, S. M., McCowan, N. K., & Brodell, R. T. (2018). Stress and skin disorder quality of life: The moderating role of anxiety sensitivity social concerns. British Journal of Dermatology, 178, 951-957. DOI: 10.1111/bjd.16513

Dixon, L. J., Tull, M. T., Lee, A. A., Kimbrel, N. A., & Gratz, K. L. (2017). The role of emotion-driven impulse control difficulties in the relation between social anxiety and aggression. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 73,722-732. DOI: 10.1002/jclp.22372

Dixon, L. J., Kemp, J. J., Farrell, N. R., Blakey, S. M., & Deacon, B. J. (2015). Interoceptive exposure exercises for social anxiety. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 33, 25-34. DOI: 10.1016/j.janxdis.2015.04.006

Dixon, L. J., Sy, J. T., Kemp, J. J., & Deacon, B. J. (2013). Does anxiety sensitivity cause panic symptoms? An experimental investigation. Journal of Experimental Psychopathology, 4, 208-223. DOI: 10.5127/jep.027512

*indicates graduate student author

Courses Taught

Education

Ph.D. Psychology, University of Wyoming (2014)

Recognitions

  • Dr. Mike L. Edmonds New Scholar Award, College of Liberal Arts, 2021
  • Graduate Mentor Award, UM Department of Psychology, 2020
  • W. Stewart Argras, M.D. Grand Rounds Speakership Award, University of Mississippi Medical Center, 2015
  • Career Development Travel Award, ADAA, 2014