Tattooing and high-risk behavior among adolescents

High-risk behavior in the domains of tobacco, alcohol, and drug use, and sexual behavior were investigated in relation to tattoo presence/absence among adolescents aged 18-22 years. Adolescents\u27 motivations to become tattooed were also explored. Participants included 400 tattooed and non-tattooed (147 male, 253 female) students at West Virginia University. Self-report questionnaires, which included items from the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBSS) as well as items derived by the investigator, were used to assess risk-taking behavior, tattoo presence/absence, and motives for obtaining/not obtaining tattoos. A significant relationship between high-risk behavior and tattooing was found using crosstabulation and chi-square analyses, and significant associations between tattoo motive and high-risk behaviors were found using independent samples t-tests and 2x2 ANOVA analyses (alpha = .05). Findings confirm previous research on tattooing and high-risk behavior and extend research on motives for tattooing