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[Teenagers with piercing and tattooing]
Eivind Meland1, Hans-Johan Breidablik, Lars Jørgen Vik
1Seksjon for allmennmedisin, Ulriksdal 8c, 5009 Bergen. eivind.meland@isf.uib.no
Summary
Young people with tattoos or piercings report lower school integration and parental support, but similar social activity. Body art is linked to health-compromising behaviors, suggesting identity expression needs recognition in schools.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent psychology
- Sociology of youth culture
Context:
- Explores the role of body art (tattoos and piercings) in adolescent identity formation.
- Investigates the social integration and behavioral characteristics of young people with body art.
Purpose:
- To determine if adolescents with tattoos or piercings exhibit distinct social integration and behavioral patterns.
- To compare social integration and health-impacting behaviors between adolescents with and without body art.
Summary:
- A cross-sectional questionnaire study of 1237 Norwegian students (ages 11-15) compared adolescents with and without body art.
- Adolescents with body art showed higher relational quantity with friends but lower school integration and perceived parental support.
- Body art was strongly associated with health-compromising behaviors.
Impact:
- Highlights the need for health promotion in schools to acknowledge identity expression and risk behaviors.
- Suggests focusing on experiential learning and inter-generational dialogue as complementary approaches to addressing adolescent risk behaviors.