Authors:

Jack Garland

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About Paper:

As rates of diagnosed anxiety disorders amongst adolescents increase over time, it is important to understand how the relationship between anxiety and risk-taking is clinically relevant. Baker and Galvan (2020) argue that anxiety-related risk-avoidance may inhibit adolescent development through limiting exploration and social engagement, while increased risk-taking has been associated with substance abuse, depression, and suicidality. Risk-taking has also been shown to positively correlate with treatment seeking in clinically anxious individuals, suggesting that risk-taking is not uniformly harmful. Participant data is sourced from the Mechanisms of Depression and Anhedonia in Adolescence (MoDA) study (ages 14-18, N=118). Anxiety symptoms are measured with the Revised Children's Anxiety and Depression Scale short form questionnaire (RCADS-25). Risk-taking is assessed with the Balloon Analogue Risk Task 165 UNIVERSITY OF OREGON • 2026 UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH SYMPOSIUM TABLE OF CONTENTS (BART), where participants earn rewards through risk-taking decisions. Correlational analyses evaluate the association between symptoms of individual anxiety disorders and risk-taking on the BART. Findings from this poster could help characterize patterns of risk-taking in individuals with specific anxiety disorders, potentially leading to targeted interventions aimed at maladaptive risk-taking in individuals at risk.

Source:

University of Oregon / 2026

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Co-authors:

Jack Garland