Tattoos: their relationship to trauma, psychopathology, and other myths

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between tattoos and reason for presentation to a community hospital emergency department (ED): injury, illness, or a psychiatric/chemical dependency problem. In addition, to assess contemporary beliefs about tattoos, ED staff and patients were surveyed about their attitudes toward and personal experience with tattoos. Demographic characteristics of participants also were evaluated relative to tattoos.

All patients seen in the ED during two 24-hour periods in winter 1999 were surveyed about tattoos in a personal interview. Hospital staff who regularly interact with ED patients were asked the same questions. Data were collected on 294 patients and 289 staff members. Diagnoses were recorded for all patients, then coded as an injury, illness, or psychiatric/chemical dependency complaint.

In the 16-35 years age group, 35% of patients and 19% of staff had tattoos. In the 36-50 years age group, 28% of patients and 11% of staff had tattoos, and the 51-65 group had similar percentages: 6% of patients and 5% of staff had tattoos. Having a tattoo was not related to presenting complaint. Age was a significant predictor of attitudes regarding tattoos: Younger people had a more positive attitude. Significantly more smokers (31%) than nonsmokers (13%) had tattoos. Education was negatively related to having a tattoo. Gender was not significantly related to having a tattoo or to the number of tattoos a person had.

A surprisingly large percentage of young patients presenting to the ED had tattoos. No relationship was found between having a tattoo and nature of chief complaint.