Body modifications, sexual activity, and religious practices.
Relations among body modifications (i.e., tattoos and piercings), sexual activity, and religious practices and beliefs were examined. In previous studies, Koch and colleagues found the type of body modification seemed to interact with sex to predict sexual activity; but only weak, negative correlations were found between tattoos and religious beliefs and practices. In a sample of 236 students (M age=20.1 yr.) from a small Catholic liberal arts college, numbers of tattoos and sexual partners were correlated statistically significantly. Other results differed by t sex: men with piercings were more likely to have had premarital intercourse, and women who had had premarital intercourse had more piercings than women who had not. There were no statistically significant correlations among body modifications and religious variables.
Department of Psychology, Saint Vincent College, 300 Fraser Purchase Road, Latrobe, PA 15650, USA. mark.rivardo@stvincent.edu
Mark G
MG
Rivardo
Colleen M
CM
Keelan
D000328:Adult; D046288:Body Piercing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012069:Religion and Psychology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012725:Sexual Behavior / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013653:Tattooing / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult