Tattooing behavior in adolescence: a comparison study

Article Abstract:

Tattooing of adolescents, by friends or other amateurs or by professional artists, was studied in 474 adolescents between the ages of 14 and 17. The subjects were either members of a residential drug and alcohol treatment program (160 subjects), inmates of a juvenile detention center (102 subjects), or members of a private pediatric practice in a middle-class community (212 subjects). A questionnaire was administered concerning demographic variables, parents' marital status, grade point average, school attendance status, drug use, criminal behavior, participation in satanic rituals, and tattooing behavior. Results showed that 36 percent of all respondents had parents who were divorced or separated; this rate was highest among the juvenile detainees (63 percent). Sixty and 98 percent of subjects from the drug abuse treatment program and the detention center, respectively, had been arrested. Fifty-four subjects (11.4 percent) had some experience of satanic rituals, with those in the drug treatment program having the greatest involvement. Fifty-eight subjects had tattoos; eight had more than one tattoo. The majority (83 percent) had been the work of the subjects themselves or of peers; 19 percent of the subjects underwent tattooing when intoxicated. Comparisons between subjects with and without tattoos revealed: tattooed adolescents tended to come from middle-income families, to have lower academic achievement levels, and to have arrest records. In addition, a history of undergoing treatment for drug use was associated with tattooing, as was involvement in satanic rituals (true for 26 percent of those who were tattooed). Association with a close friend or family member with a tattoo also increased the likelihood of being tattooed. The level of awareness concerning the relationship between infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus, associated with AIDS) and tattooing was similar in all three groups. The results suggest that tattooing among adolescents can be associated with low self-esteem, peer modeling, and satanic rituals. It should be addressed as a health issue and physicians should be aware of the motivations that can underlie this practice. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Tattooing

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Youth alienation as an emerging pediatric health care issue

Article Abstract:

The alienation of young people is one of society's most urgent problems. Their numbers increase as the structure and priorities of our society are challenged. They are faced with altered sexual patterns, drug abuse, family violence, and decreased success in school. This group consists of adolescent mothers, runaways, street persons, school dropouts, prostitutes, and drug abusers. They lack supportive structures in their lives, including adequate health care provisions. Their life styles, whether by choice or compulsion, expose them to increased risks for sexually transmitted diseases, AIDS, traumatic injury, and unwarranted death. Their alienation was thought to be associated with poverty, but middle class youth are increasingly being found within this framework, drawn in by conflicts of parental ethics and social values, and the peer demands of the adolescent subculture. Newer ethnic minorities are alienated from society because of poverty and social concerns; paradoxically, they retain the ethics and values of their families and culture. There are also the 'throwaways,' the youth who are sent away from established homes because of internal conflicts or family reorganization. They are frequently undereducated, unskilled and unlikely to become productive members of society. They are usually outside the health care system and in desperate need of its support. The medical care available to them is generally provided by street clinics, special interest groups, and advocacy groups. They may have access to pediatricians and professional medical care, but sparingly and usually inadequately. The physician must assume leadership and orchestrate health care programs to meet the special needs of alienated youth. The traditional doctor's office is not the ideal podium from which to conduct this effort; community involvement, empathy for alienated youth, and understanding of their health problems are required to prevent the loss of so many who have the potential to lead productive lives. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Social aspects, Alienation, Alienation (Social psychology), editorial, Adolescent medicine

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The pregnant adolescent prostitute

Article Abstract:

Teenage prostitution has not been extensively studied. Most of the available literature concentrates on the psychiatric and social ills which lead young women into prostitution. Although data suggest that at least half of all juvenile prostitutes have been pregnant at least once, there have been few studies of pregnancy as a result of teenage prostitution. The problems of these young women are further complicated by the violence of life on the streets, and the specter of infection with HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) and AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome). It is estimated that there are 900,000 adolescent prostitutes in the United States of which 600,000 are female. A group of 61 female prostitutes, ranging in age from 13 to 18 years, were followed-up; all of the young women were either pregnant or recently gave birth. Racially 39.3 percent were black, 44.3 percent were caucasian, 9.8 were native American, and the remaining teens were from various racial groups. None of the women in this study came from an intact family, and many had been removed from there natural family. Approximately 25 percent of the group had mothers who were involved in prostitution, and some of the young women had been introduced to prostitution by their mothers. Sixty-five percent of these adolescents had a history of serious alcohol or drug abuse. Ninety percent of the young women were no longer in school, and the absence of an adequate education was very common. Forty-one percent of these teenagers had contemplated suicide within the past year. The study indicated that pregnancy increased depression, and made the young women more vulnerable to pimps and others. These adolescent prostitutes and their children are at extremely high risk for HIV and AIDS. The use of drugs and frequent sexual contact (as great as 120 contacts per month) are cited as significant factors that increase the risks of pregnancy and infection with sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Case studies, Evaluation, Causes of, Statistics, Children, Suicide, Prostitutes, Child health, Teenage pregnancy, Social work, Prostitution, Juvenile, Child prostitution, Social work with prostitutes, AIDS (Disease) in children, Pediatric AIDS (Disease)

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