Relationship between tattooing, drug use and perceived body image

Abstract

Previous studies on psychological aspects of tattooing have not examined the relationship between tattoos, level of drug use and perceived body image. The present study aims to examine the relationship between tattooing involvement and motivations, drug use and body image. Approximately 113 tattooed individuals in Athens, Greece completed measures of involvement in tattooing, reasons for obtaining a tattoo, their level of drug use and their perceived body image. Specifically, the self-completed anonymous battery of questionnaires included a general Demographic questionnaire on Involvement in Tattooing, a questionnaire on Reasons for Obtaining a Tattoo, the Drug Abuse Screening Test (DASR-10) and the Body Appreciation Scale (BAS). Findings confirmed that individuals with high levels of problems associated to drug use report different reasons for becoming tattooed compared to those with lower levels. They also differ in their overall involvement with tattooing and relate negatively to their body. Furthermore, heroin and LSD long-term users were associated with lower levels of body appreciation and higher levels of problems associated to drug use. It was also found that number of tattoos is not an indicator of an individual’s body appreciation, suggesting that it holds a very diverse and personal meaning for each individual, and that the attitudes and fashions toward tattoos are changing.