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esearch Piercings are a girl’s best friend Body art study shows gender preferences By Tom Nordlie For college students anxious to rebel against their parents’ fashion sensibilities, getting a tattoo or piercing may be the modern-day equivalent of the 1960s-era fascination with long hair and love beads. As with the hippie look, body art has caught on with both genders. But the motivations fueling a trip to the tattoo and piercing parlor can vary dramatically between men and women, and between individuals. Some may be thrill-seekers, said Eric Storch, Ph.D., a UF assistant professor of pediatrics and psychiatry. Others might want to work through a traumatic life experience or just find romantic partners. Storch co-authored a study published recently in the journal Personality and Individual Differences that examined gender differences and personality traits among college students who had at least one tattoo or “nontraditional” piercing — defined as located anywhere other than the earlobe. Popular nontraditional piercing sites include the eyebrows, nose, lips, tongue, chin, nipples, navel and genitals. “Fifty years ago, generally Americans did not have tattoos or any alternative body modification,” Storch said. “Times have really quite quickly changed.” But maybe they haven’t changed that much. The new UF study, based on a written survey of about 280 UF undergraduates, suggests at least one gender stereotype — that tattoos are strictly for men — may still wield influence in the body-art community. More than 80 percent of the 160 women surveyed were pierced, but less than 20 percent were tattooed, Storch said. In contrast, half the men in the study had piercings and half had tattoos. “My initial interpretation is that this very much reflects societal points of view,” he said. “That is, it is very acceptable for a woman to have piercings in multiple places and a bit less so for men.” Regardless of gender, he said, both men and women with multiple piercings, rather than multiple tattoos, reported greater incidence of stressful life experiences, such as serious illness or injury, abuse or the death of a loved one. Piercings might help some people work through past trauma by giving them a permanent Photo By lisa baltozer reminder of a difficult event in their lives, he said. “We were slightly surprised that it (a stressful experience) was not predictive of the number of tattoos people get,” Storch said. Because tattoos can communicate more visual information than piercings, he said the researchers expected to find a correlation between multiple tattoos and stressful experiences. But for many students, a tattoo or piercing is simply a way to show off their wild side. The UF study found men had higher scores than women on parts of the survey measuring their sensation-seeking tendencies, Storch said. Sensation seeking, the drive to have new, unique and intense life experiences, is associated with participation in activities such as extreme sports, illicit drug use or dangerous driving. When it comes to romance and long-term commitment, sensation seekers tend to seek each other out, said Marvin Zuckerman, Ph.D., a professor emeritus of clinical psychology with the University of Delaware and a renowned authority on sensation seeking. Easily visible tattoos and piercings can help sensation seekers identify likeminded individuals and save time in the mating game, he said. The important thing to remember, Storch said, is that there’s more to a person than a tribal tat or facial piercing. “Regardless of the meaning behind it,” he said, “body modification is a way to express your individuality, to explore and to experiment with really being an adult for the first time.” P Tattoo artist Rob Barnes applies ink to the left ankle of UF soil and water science graduate student Sarah Chinault at BodyTech in Gainesville. Chinault, 23, already has 17 tattoos and more than 30 piercings. This new addition has the words “powered by tofu” and shows a smiling block of bean curd. Shown above, Sarah has a hoop earring replaced with a straight barbell. Photo By lisa baltozer POST 12•04 1•05
Research briefs UF researchers to study treatment for patients with swallowing disorders By Jill Pease A UF research team will evaluate the effectiveness of a new therapy for the treatment of swallowing disorders in a series of ongoing clinical trials. Led by Michael Crary, Ph.D., a professor of communicative disorders at the College of Public Health and Health Professions, the team will investigate how useful electrical stimulation is in treating patients who are unable to swallow food or drink following disease or illness. The therapy involves placing electrodes on the patient’s neck, which put out very low electrical currents, with the goal of stimulating inactive muscles. Electrical stimulation has been used for years in physical therapy and other rehabilitation medicine fields, Crary said. And, although it has shown promise for the treatment of swallowing disorders, electrical stimulation has never been evaluated scientifically for its effectiveness with swallowing disorders. “Electrical stimulation may be a good technique, and it certainly is supported by a lot of anecdotal evidence, but we need to systematically study the outcomes of the therapy and identify who might benefit most from this approach,” Crary said. An estimated 15 million Americans suffer from swallowing disorders. The condition can affect patients with stroke, Parkinson’s disease, traumatic injury or head and neck cancer. “Eating and drinking at gatherings with family and friends and business functions is so important in our culture,” Crary said. “People who no longer have that ability are separated from others.” Researchers will test VitalStim, the only electrical stimulation device approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for this use, with funding from the Chattanooga Group, VitalStim’s manufacturer. Participants enrolled in the study will receive electrical stimulation therapy five days a week for up to three weeks. At the end of treatment, the patient’s swallowing ability will be re-evaluated to measure his or her progress. Photo By lisa baltozer Clinical speech pathologist Cynthia DuBose works with Kurt Berry, a research participant in a study of electrical stimulation for treating swallowing disorders. Researchers also will conduct two national surveys of swallowing therapists to gather information on how many practitioners are using electrical stimulation for their patients and the outcomes of the treatment. Researchers are looking for participants in the study. To be eligible, subjects must be between the ages of 21 and 90 and have experienced swallowing difficulties for at least six months. Interested participants can contact Crary at 273-6159 or mcrary@phhp.ufl.edu. P Gatorade inventor Cade retires after 43 years Nephrologist J. Robert Cade, M.D., inventor of Gatorade and father of the sports-beverage industry, retired Nov. 1 after serving 43 years with UF’s College of Medicine. At the time of his retirement Cade was a professor of medicine in the department of medicine’s division of nephrology, hypertension and renal transplantation, and he will remain with the division as a professor emeritus. Cade is pictured at his retirement dinner Nov. 16 at Mulberry Landing in Alachua, a favorite restaurant. At the dinner, speakers — including College of Medicine Dean Craig Tisher, M.D., department of medicine Chairman Edward Block, M.D., nephrology division Chairman Richard Johnson, M.D., and Cade’s longtime assistant Malcolm Privette — hailed Cade’s achievements and shared favorite anecdotes. — Tom Nordlie Photo By tom nordlie 12•04 1•05 POST
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