People with tattoos are more likely to be diagnosed with mental illness, according to a new study. His results also indicate that tattoo lovers are more likely to engage in risky behavior: they smoke more often, end up in prison more often, and have more sexual partners. They are also at increased risk of sleep problems. A team of researchers at the University of Miami Florida believes that dermatologists and medical professionals should be more proactive in asking their patients about their daily behavior if patients have tattoos.
Tattoos are becoming more and more popular in the US, especially among teens and young people. According to the survey results, about 40% of young people aged 18-29 have at least one tattoo. Half of the respondents have from 2 to 5 tattoos, and 18% have six or more. At the same time, according to the research results, the presence of tattoos in young people may indicate a tendency to risky behavior. For example, the authors of a study conducted at the University of Rochester Medical Center in 2001 found that teens with tattoos are more likely to smoke marijuana, drink and skip school compared to their peers. A new study published by the International Journal of Dermatology demonstrates the same findings. It was conducted on a sample of 2,000 US adults.
In a July 2016 study, participants were asked if they had tattoos, followed by questions related to health, psychiatric diagnoses, and sleep problems. The respondents were also asked three questions about risky behavior - whether they smoke, whether they had to go to prison, and also about the number of sexual partners.
According to the survey results, people with tattoos are more prone to these types of behavior than those who do not have a tattoo. They also get psychiatric diagnoses more often, just like insomnia is diagnosed.
"The study found a link between having tattoos and risky behavior," said Dr. Caroline Mortensen, associate professor of health management and health policy at the University of Miami. "In an era of growing popularity of tattoos, people still don't know that tattoos are associated with a number of health problems."
Author: Queen's Bolonka
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