Relationships between body modifications and very high-risk behaviors in a college population

College Student Journal, June, 2002 by Terry D. Burger, Deborah Finkel

One may ask why, if body modification is so risky, adolescents use it to support their self-esteem. The answer may be that young people turn to body modification as an antidote to the psychological issues and stressors associated with late adolescence. Evidence suggests that adolescents with low self-esteem tend to participate in high-risk activities to boost their self-image (Gordon & Caltabiano, 1997). However, by attempting to address body image and personal appearance issues through body modification, some adolescents may actually exacerbate their low self-esteem and embarrassment (Grief & Hewitt, 1999; Armstrong & McConnell, 1994).

Given the risks associated with body modification, it is not surprising that it is associated with other risky behaviors: drug use, cigarette smoking, and alcohol use (Grief & Hewitt, 1999). However, few studies (if any) have examined the relationship between very high-risk activities that are common in the student population and body modification participation. The current study will attempt to close this gap in the literature by examining the relationship between body modification participation and involvement in very high-risk activities among a college population. Specifically, the current study addresses two hypotheses. First, a positive relationship will be found between participation in body modification and other very high-risk activities common to a student population. Secondly, self-esteem will mediate the relationship between body modification and participation in very high-risk behaviors. The relationship between body modification and risk-taking will be stronger for individuals with low self-esteem than for individuals with high self-esteem.

Method

Participants

One hundred seventeen students (50 males, 67 females) enrolled in Introductory Psychology courses at a small midwestern university participated in the current study. The mean age of the sample was 22.22 years (SD = 6.5). Non-white participants represented 11.3 percent of the sample (6 African American, 1 Asian, and 3 "other"). Underclassmen (freshmen and sophomores) represented 79.5 percent of the sample. A six-point Likert scale revealed a mean household income of between $30,000 and $39,999. Approximately 13 percent of the participants reported being married.

Materials

In addition to typical demographic data, participants were asked to complete three measures in the current study. The Coopersmith Inventory (Coopersmith, 1981) is a 58-item instrument that measures level of self-esteem. The instrument consists of four subscales that correspond to four specific self-esteem environments, including a general self-esteem scale that was used in this study. The Coopersmith Inventory has been used extensively since 1967.

The Cognitive Appraisal of Risky Activities--Revised (CARE-R) (Fromme, D'Amico, & Katz, 1999; Katz, Fromme, & D'Amico, 2000) is a 25-item measure that assesses risks involved in an individual's drinking behavior, drug use, and risky sexual behavior over the previous six-month period. Specifically, six risk-variables were assessed using the CARE-R in the current study: Sex without protection with a regular partner, sex without protection with a stranger, female coercion (the female reports having been coerced either verbally or physically into having sexual intercourse by a male), male coercion (males report having coerced a female either verbally or physically into having sexual intercourse), illegal drug use, and alcohol risks (drinking and driving or riding in a car with someone who has been drinking). The CARE-R implements a 7-point Likert scale to quantify participants' frequency of involvement in each of the six risk variables measured. The CARE-R has been tested for reliability and validity in previous studies on risky behaviors (Katz et al., 2000; Fromme et al., 1999).