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Tattooing and piercing are associated with symptoms of ADHD: A cross-sectional study of non-clinical adults

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2022

M. Glans ,
S. Bejerot  and
J. Dossou Nilsson
M. Glans*
Affiliation:
Faculty of Medicine and Health, University Health Care Research Centre, Örebro, Sweden
S. Bejerot
Affiliation:
Örebro University, Faculty Of Medicine And Health, Örebro, Sweden
J. Dossou Nilsson
Affiliation:
Örebro University, Faculty Of Medicine And Health, Örebro, Sweden
*
*Corresponding author.

Abstract

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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.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Keywords

body piercingImpulsivityAttention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivitytattoing
Type
Abstract
Information
European Psychiatry , Volume 65 , Special Issue S1: Abstracts of the 30th European Congress of Psychiatry , June 2022 , pp. S84 - S85
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the European Psychiatric Association
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