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Body piercing and adolescent risk-taking: association or expression?
Meltem Ileri1,2, Hüsniye Yücel3, Deniz Yücel4
1Department of Pediatrics, Ankara Etlik City Hospital, Ankara, Ankara, Turkey. meltemileri@yahoo.com.
European Journal of Pediatrics
|June 3, 2026
Summary
Adolescents with body piercings show higher risk-taking behaviors and psychological vulnerability, including increased rates of smoking, alcohol, and substance use. They also exhibit poor knowledge of safe piercing practices, highlighting a need for better health education and screening.
Area of Science:
- Adolescent Health
- Behavioral Science
- Public Health
Background:
- Body piercing is a prevalent adolescent self-expression form, often linked to risk-taking behaviors like smoking and substance use.
- Adolescents possess inadequate knowledge regarding safe piercing practices, hygiene, sterilization, and potential health complications.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between body piercing and risk-taking behaviors in adolescents.
- To assess adolescent knowledge and attitudes concerning piercing practices, hygiene, and associated complications.
- To evaluate mental health status, including suicide risk, in relation to body piercing.
Main Methods:
- A cross-sectional descriptive study involving 141 adolescents (12-19 years) at an adolescent health clinic.
- Participants were categorized into two groups: those with body piercings (n=71) and controls without piercings (n=70).
- Data collection utilized structured questionnaires assessing sociodemographics, risk-taking behaviors (including suicidal thoughts), and knowledge of piercing procedures.
Main Results:
- Pierced adolescents exhibited significantly higher rates of smoking (73.2% vs. 11.4%), alcohol use (63.4% vs. 8.6%), substance use (11.3% vs. 0%), and non-suicidal self-injury (42.3% vs. 4.3%).
- Positive suicide risk screening was more frequent in the pierced group (45.1% vs. 7.1%).
- Nearly half of pierced adolescents reported local complications, and only 49.3% had procedures in licensed studios, with moderate overall knowledge scores (59.4/100).
Conclusions:
- Body piercing is associated with increased risk-taking behaviors and psychological vulnerability in adolescents.
- Adolescents demonstrate significant knowledge gaps regarding safe piercing practices and professional guidance.
- There is a critical need for targeted educational interventions and utilizing body piercing as an opportunity for psychosocial assessment in adolescent healthcare.
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