Substance use and Tattoo: An Observational Study

BACKGROUND: Substance use disorders are among the world’s leading public health problems. A tattoo is a non verbal form of expression that has been in use since antiquity. Young people with tattoos rate themselves as more adventurous, individualistic, creative, artistic, and risky. They report more behavioural risks, including drug use. AIMS: • To study the tattoo profile among the subjects having Substance Use Disorder. • Association of substance with tattoo-specific variables. METHODS: • Cross-sectional observational study conducted in the psychiatry department of a tertiary care center. • 30 subjects with Substance Use Disorder having at least one tattoo were enrolled and assessed using the Tattoo Questionnaire (Cardasis et al). • Chi square test and Fisher’s exact test were performed to find significant associations between parameters. RESULTS: • Tattoo was maximum in patients taking opioid(16), followed by alcohol(9), nicotine(3) and cannabis(2). • Maximum number of tattoo was in 1-3 tattoo group(86.7%), within which opioid(81.3%) scored the highest. • 66.7% of the patients obtained their 1(st) tattoo under 20 years, forearm being the most common location. • Significant association(p value = 0.03) was found between alcohol and whether the tattoo was done professionally. • Another significant association(p value = 0.04) was found between alcohol and special meaning to the tattoo. CONCLUSION: Although the highest number of tattoos was seen in opioid users but alcohol use was significantly associated with whether the tattoo was done professionally and tattoo having special meaning.