Tattooing and piercing are associated with symptoms of ADHD: A cross-sectional study of non-clinical adults
2022 (English)In: European psychiatry, ISSN 0924-9338, E-ISSN 1778-3585, Vol. 65, no Suppl. 1, p. S84-S85, article id O0057Article in journal, Meeting abstract (Other academic) Published
Abstract [en]
Introduction: Previous studies suggest that individuals with tattoos and piercings exhibit higher impulsive personality traits compared to peers without body modifications. No studies on body modifications and core-symptoms of ADHD are available.
Objectives: This study aimed to compare self-reported ADHD symptoms between non-clinical adults with and without body modifications.
Methods: A non-clinical adult Swedish population (n=815) completed the Adult ADHD self-report scale (ASRS-v1.1) and answered questions concerning body modification. ADHD diagnosis served as exclusion criterion. Three grouping variables were analysed separately; tattoo status, piercing status and a combination of having both tattoo and piercing. Linear regression compared mean ASRS total- and subscale scores between individuals with and without body modification according to each grouping variable, while adjusting for candidate covariates age and sex.
Results: The prevalence of each body modification variable was; 30% for tattoo, 18% for piercing other than earlobe and 12% for combination of tattoo and piercing. Any combination of body modification was associated with significantly higher ASRS total- and subscale scores compared to no body modification. The most pronounced differences between groups were for the combination of tattoo and piercing, and on the hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI) subscale; revealing adjusted mean differences of 4.3 points (range 0-72) on the ASRS-total score (p <0.001) and 2.6 points (range 0-36) on the ASRS HI subscale (p <0.001).
Conclusions: Body modification was associated with more pronounced ADHD core symptoms amongst non-clinical adults. Although statistically significant, the clinical significance is uncertain. The prevalence rates of body modifications in our cohort indicate that they are becoming cultural normal.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Cambridge University Press, 2022. Vol. 65, no Suppl. 1, p. S84-S85, article id O0057
Keywords [en]
body piercing, Impulsivity, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity, tattoing
National Category
Psychiatry
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:oru:diva-104983DOI: 10.1192/j.eurpsy.2022.255ISI: 000897965700222OAI: oai:DiVA.org:oru-104983DiVA, id: diva2:1744126
Conference
30th European Congress of Psychiatry (EPA 2022), (Virtual congress), June 4-7, 2022
2023-03-172023-03-172023-03-17Bibliographically approved