We are a small group of scholars that

The Body Art Team

We are a small group of scholars that, in the Fall of 1999, began gathering data regarding college students' attitudes toward, and experiences with tattoos and body piercing. Our work is interdisciplinary. We are published in journals for sociologists, psychologists, nurses, and physicians. One of the articles received the 2002 Annual Dermatology Nurses Writers Award. We have had many requests from all over the world that our work be made available, hence, this web page. Pass the word!

Our most recent work concerns the removal of tattoos and body piercings. Click to read a news accounts from Reuters and ABC News

We have now finished data collection and have begun to analyze survey responses from students across the country at both secular and religious universities. This project is entitled, "Religiosity, Fundamentalism, Deviance, and Body Art. Click for some Initial Findings. Click also to read an online news story about Religious Tattoos.

We've also been quoted in Cosmopolitan Magazine, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, and National Geographic.

If you have questions about our work, or would like information about our team, email us at:

Myrna Armstrong Jerry Koch Al Roberts Donna Owen Jana Saunders
myrna.armstrong@ttuhsc.edu jerome.koch@ttu.edu alden.roberts@ttu.edu donna.owen@ttuhsc.edu jana.saunders@ttuhsc.edu

Our Published Work:

20. Armstrong, Myrna L., Scott DeBoer, and Frank Cetta. 2008. "Infective Endocarditis After Body Art: A Review of the Literature and Concerns." Journal of Adolescent Health 43: 217-225. Read Article

19. Young, Cathy, and Myrna L. Armstrong. 2008. "What Nurses Need to Know When Caring for Women with Genital Piercings." 2008. AWHONN Lifelines. 12:130-138. Read Article

18. Armstrong, Myrna L., Alden E. Roberts, Jerome R. Koch, Jana C. Saunders, Donna C. Owen, and R. Rox Anderson. 2008. "Motivation for Contemporary Tattoo Removal: A Shift in Identity." Archives of Dermatology 144 (7): 879-884. Read Article

17. Armstrong, Myrna L., Jerome R. Koch, Jana C. Saunders, Alden E. Roberts, and Donna C. Owen. 2007. "The Hole Picture: Risks, Decision Making, Purpose, Regulations, and the Future of Body Piercing." Clinics in Dermatology. 25(4): 398-406. Read Article

16. Koch, Jerome R., Alden E. Roberts, Myrna L. Armstrong, and Donna C. Owen. 2007. "Frequencies and relations of body piercing and sexual activity in college students." Psychological Reports. 101: 159-162. Read Article

15. Armstrong, Myrna L., Alden E. Roberts, Jerome R. Koch, Jana C. Saunders, and Donna C. Owen. 2007. "Investigating the Removal of Body Piercings." Clinical Nursing Research 16: 103-118. Read Article

14. Roberts, Alden E., Jerome R. Koch, Myrna L. Armstrong, and Donna C. Owen. 2006. "Correlates of Tattoos and Reference Groups." Psychological Reports. 99: 933-934 Read Article

13. Armstrong, Myrna L., Carol Caliendo, and Alden E. Roberts. 2006. "Pregnancy, Lactation, and Intimate Body Piercings." AHWONN Lifelines. 10(3): 212-217. Read Article

12. Armstrong, Myrna L., Carol Caliendo, and Alden E. Roberts. 2006. "Genital Piercings: What is known and what people with genital piercings tell us." Urologic Nursing. 26(3): 173-180. Read Article

11. Koch, Jerome R., Alden E. Roberts, Myrna L. Armstrong, and Donna C. Owen. 2005. "College students, tattoos, and sexual activity." Psychological Reports. 97: 887-890. Read Article

10. Armstrong, Myrna L. 2005. "Tattooing, Body Piercing, and Permanent Cosmetics: A Historical and Current View of State Regulations, with Continuing Concerns." Journal of Environmental Health 8:38-43. Read Article

9. Koch, Jerome R., Alden E. Roberts, Julie Harms Cannon, Myrna L. Armstrong, and Donna C. Owen. 2005. “College Students, Tattooing, and the Health Belief Model." Sociological Spectrum 25: 79-102. Read article

8. Caliendo, Carol, Myrna L. Armstrong, and Alden E. Roberts. 2005. “Self-reported Characteristics of Women and Men with Intimate Body Piercings.” Journal of Advanced Nursing 49(5): 474-484. Read Article

7. Saunders, Jana C, and Myrna L Armstrong. 2005. "Experiences and Influences of Women With Cosmetic Tattooing." Dermatology Nursing 17(1): 23-31. Read Article

6. Koch, Jerome R., Alden E. Roberts, Myrna L. Armstrong, and Donna C. Owen. 2004. “Religious Belief and Practice in Attitudes Toward Individuals With Body Piercing." Psychological Reports 95: 583-586. Read article

5. Koch, Jerome R., Alden E. Roberts, Myrna L. Armstrong, and Donna C. Owen. 2004. “Correlations of religious belief and practice on college students’ tattoo-related behavior.” Psychological Reports 94: 425-430 Read article

4. Armstrong, Myrna L., Alden E. Roberts, Donna C. Owen, and Jerome R. Koch. 2004. “Toward Building a Composite of College Student Influences With Body Art." Issues in Comprehensive Pediatric Nursing 27: 273-291. Read Article.

3. Armstrong, Myrna L., Donna C. Owen, Alden E. Roberts, and Jerome R. Koch. 2004. “Contemporary College Students and Body Piercing.” Journal of Adolescent Health 35: 58-61. Read Article

2. Armstrong, Myrna L., Donna C. Owen, Alden E. Roberts, and Jerome R. Koch. 2002. “College Students and Tattoos: The Influence of Image, Identity, Family, and Friends.” The Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services 40(10): 20-29. Read Article

1. Armstrong, Myrna L., Donna C. Owen, Alden E. Roberts, and Jerome R. Koch. 2002.. “College Tattoos: More Than Skin Deep.” Dermatology Nursing 14(5): 317-323. (Winner of the 2002 Annual Dermatology Nurses Writers Award). Read Article

About us:

Myrna L. Armstrong, RN, Ed.D., FAAN is Professor and RN-BSN Coordinator at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. Her research interests include body art and distance education. She has authored several research and descriptive articles about body piercing (including intimate piercings) and tattooing (including cosmetic tattooing).

Jerome R. Koch, M.Div., Ph.D. is Associate Professor of Sociology at Texas Tech University. His research interests are related to the sociology of religion, medicine, and deviance. In addition to numerous research articles, he is co-author (with Robert E. Beckley) of The Continuing Challenge of AIDS: Clergy Responses to Patients, Friends, and Families, published by Auburn House in 2002.

Donna C. Owen, RN, Ph.D., AOCN is the Mildred & Shirley L. Garrison Professor of Geriatric Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. Her research interests are related to risk perception, communication, caregivers, and dementia. In addition, she has published research articles focused on methodological issues including instrument design and psychometric analysis.

Alden E. Roberts, Ph.D., is Professor of Sociology at Texas Tech University. His research interests include social psychology, deviance, religion, quantitative methods, and race and ethnic relations. Recent research articles have appeared in Psychological Reports, Quantity and Quality, and Sociological Spectrum.

Jana Saunders, RN, Ph.D., CS, is Associate Professor of Nursing at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Nursing. Her research interests include cosmetic tattooing and body art, psychiatric disorders, and gerontology. She is a past recipient of the Sigma Theta Tau Research Award for her scholarship in psychiatric and mental health nursing.