Clemmensen Signe B, Mengel-From Jonas, Kaprio Jaakko, Harris Jennifer R, Frederiksen Henrik, von Bornemann Hjelmborg Jacob
Department of Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Biodemography, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Danish Twin Registry, Institute of Public Health, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Behav Genet. 2025 Mar;55(2):114-123. doi: 10.1007/s10519-025-10215-3. Epub 2025 Feb 1.
Tattooing has become increasingly common in recent decades, yet little is known regarding factors that influence tattoo behavior. Sources of influence will be important, for instance in aiding studies of long-term health effects. From the population-based Danish Twin Tattoo Cohort established in 2021, the study included 9,173 randomly selected twins born 1920-2004. Among these were 4,790 (52%) responders to a questionnaire on tattooing and lifestyle factors. There were 55% females, 22% were monozygotic twins, and the median age was 51 years. Shared influence of tattooing over time was assessed by comparing monozygotic and dizygotic twin pairs. Responders were population representative on sex, age, and lifestyle factors. The cumulative incidence of being tattooed before age 25 years increased markedly from 6% (95% CI: 4-7%) for males and 0% (0-1%) for females born in 1925-1960 to 30% (25-35%) for males and 41% (37-46%) for females born in 1981-2004. Tattooing was over twice as common among ever smokers compared to never smokers born in 1981-2004 (average smoking effect at age 25 years: 36% (29-43%)). The likelihood of a twin getting tattooed if the co-twin is tattooed, was 2.0 (1.4-2.6) and 1.8 (1.5-2.2) times higher, for monozygotic and dizygotic twins, respectively. The findings indicate that variation in the likelihood of becoming tattooed is primarily explained by shared environmental factors 65% (35-95%), and that genetic influences explained little of this variation. This study demonstrates that strong environmental exposures shared by twin siblings irrespective of degree of genetic relatedness drive the choice for getting tattooed. We conclude that tattooing is a cultural group clustering phenomenon that goes beyond genetically oriented behavioral characteristics.
近几十年来，纹身变得越来越普遍，但对于影响纹身行为的因素却知之甚少。影响因素的来源很重要，例如有助于研究长期健康影响。该研究基于2021年建立的丹麦双胞胎纹身队列，纳入了9173名1920年至2004年出生的随机选择的双胞胎。其中，有4790人（52%）回复了关于纹身和生活方式因素的问卷。女性占55%，22%为同卵双胞胎，中位年龄为51岁。通过比较同卵双胞胎和异卵双胞胎对来评估纹身随时间的共同影响。回复者在性别、年龄和生活方式因素方面具有人群代表性。25岁之前纹身的累积发病率从1925年至1960年出生的男性的6%（95%置信区间：4%-7%）和女性的0%（0%-1%）显著增加到1981年至2004年出生的男性的30%（25%-35%）和女性的41%（37%-46%）。与1981年至2004年出生的从不吸烟者相比，曾经吸烟者的纹身率是其两倍多（25岁时的平均吸烟影响：36%（29%-43%））。如果双胞胎中的一个纹身，另一个纹身的可能性，同卵双胞胎是2.0（1.4-2.6）倍，异卵双胞胎是1.8（1.5-2.2）倍。研究结果表明，纹身可能性的差异主要由共同环境因素解释，占65%（35%-95%），而遗传影响对这种差异的解释很少。这项研究表明，双胞胎兄弟姐妹无论遗传相关性程度如何，共同面临的强烈环境暴露推动了纹身的选择。我们得出结论，纹身是一种文化群体聚集现象，超越了以基因定向的行为特征。
