Tattooing Among Combat Soldiers as a Coping Resource With Their Military Service Experiences

This study aims to examine how former combat soldiers use tattoos as a coping resource in response to their military service experiences. Qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews with eight combat soldiers identified two main themes: (a) the military events and distress as a background story of the tattoos; (b) the tattoos' meaning as a coping resource for military service experiences. The thematic analysis revealed two coping resources which the soldiers utilised through tattooing. The first is the emotional-relief coping resource, which allows combat soldiers to express and process their emotions in response to events experienced during their military service, and helps them reduce feelings of stress. The second is the positive-productive coping resource that enhances positive feelings, serves as an empowering, promoting and strengthening resource, and expresses a transformative process of change. The findings also revealed that both of the coping resources were adaptive coping resources. This study contributes to the limited research on tattooing among combat soldiers, expands the knowledge regarding tattoos as a coping resource with military service, and identifies two types of coping resources utilised by combat soldiers. On a practical level, our findings offer insights for interventions aimed at promoting awareness among combat soldiers about the effectiveness of tattooing.