Atli, AbdullahAkkaya, MucahitSad, Suleyman Nihat2024-08-042024-08-0420221046-13101936-4733https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-021-01389-0https://hdl.handle.net/11616/99731Perceptions about tattoos have recently undergone a fast change and now they are considered as a popular means of self-expression, especially among adolescents and young adults. In the present qualitative study, it is aimed to understand this change by deeply exploring the decision-making processes about having tattoos, the reasons for having tattoos, and the experiences after having tattoos among university students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 university students (12 females and 12 males) aged between 18 and 24 years from eight different cities in Turkey. As a result of the thematic analysis, ten sub-themes emerged under three major themes (i.e. Deciding on having a tattoo, Reasons for having a tattoo, and Experiences after the tattoo). Practical suggestions were given to practitioners within the framework of the findings.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/closedAccessTattooUniversity studentsThematic analysisArticle41128965897410.1007/s12144-021-01389-02-s2.0-85099918155Q2WOS:000609345200003Q2