Abstract
Perceptions about tattoos have recently undergone a fast change and now they are considered as a popular means of self-expression, especially among adolescents and young adults. In the present qualitative study, it is aimed to understand this change by deeply exploring the decision-making processes about having tattoos, the reasons for having tattoos, and the experiences after having tattoos among university students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 university students (12 females and 12 males) aged between 18 and 24 years from eight different cities in Turkey. As a result of the thematic analysis, ten sub-themes emerged under three major themes (i.e. “Deciding on having a tattoo”, “Reasons for having a tattoo”, and “Experiences after the tattoo”). Practical suggestions were given to practitioners within the framework of the findings.
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Data Availability
The datasets generated and analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on request.
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Atli, A., Akkaya, M. & Şad, S.N. Tattooing: A popular way of self-expression among university students. Curr Psychol 41, 8965–8974 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01389-0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01389-0