Pubdate: Sat, 18 May 2002
Source: Denver Rocky Mountain News (CO)
Copyright: 2002, Denver Publishing Co.
Contact:  http://www.rockymountainnews.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/371

REBELS LIKELY TO PIERCE BODIES

A study released this month by the University of Rochester in New York 
shows that teen-agers who get anything pierced beyond their ears are more 
likely than their non-pierced peers to do things their parents disapprove 
of. Girls with body piercings were about 2 1/2 times more likely than other 
girls to have had sex, to have used marijuana in the past month and twice 
as likely to have skipped school in the past year. Boys with piercings were 
five times as likely to have skipped school and had similarly high risks 
for smoking and drinking as girls. While body piercing is becoming more 
mainstream, in a teen it still signals rebellion, says study author Dr. 
Timothy Roberts. "If your adolescent wants to have a body piercing, it is a 
reason to talk to them," he says.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Stevens