Combat trauma and ink: Study explores tattoos as psychological resources in soldiers

A series of interviews with eight Israeli combat soldiers revealed that their tattoos were closely tied to military experiences and emotional distress. These tattoos often served as coping mechanisms, helping the soldiers process and make sense of their time in the military. The findings published in Stress and Health.

Upon entering military service, soldiers are thrust into a world vastly different from civilian life. They become part of a large, hierarchical organization governed by strict rules and discipline. They are trained to follow orders unquestioningly—even when doing so may put their lives at risk. During combat operations, soldiers may face prolonged battles, extreme fatigue, sleep deprivation, the loss of comrades, and threats to their own survival.

For many, these experiences are overwhelming and may lead to symptoms of psychological distress, mental health disorders, and problematic behaviors. In their efforts to cope and process these experiences, some soldiers turn to tattoos. Tattoos can function as a form of self-expression, a means of asserting individuality, or a way of preserving one’s personal identity amid the regimentation of military life.

The study, conducted by Keren Cohen‐Louck and Yakov Iluz, aimed to explore how combat soldiers—those directly involved in military operations—use tattoos as a resource for coping with their experiences.

The study included eight Israeli combat soldiers who had gotten tattooed either during their military service or shortly after being discharged. These tattoos were often connected to traumatic events they had experienced, such as participation in extended combat, injuries, or the injury, death, or suicide of fellow soldiers. Two of the participants were female.

Participants ranged in age from 21 to 29. Four were single and four were married. Six participants had up to three tattoos, one had six, and one had fifteen. Most of the tattoos were related to military service. Participants were recruited through Israeli Facebook groups focused on tattoos.

They completed a demographic questionnaire, provided basic information about their military service (e.g., “Were you a combat or non-combat soldier?”, “Did you participate in combat situations during your service?”), and answered a series of questions about their tattoos.

The researchers identified two major themes from the interviews. The first was that military events and the distress soldiers endured served as the background for many of their tattoos. These tattoos acted as mementos of traumatic events they had lived through. As one participant recalled, “When I was discharged, I thought about it a lot—about my commander, about the bullets flying over my head. I see him with blood and everything.”

The second theme was that tattoos served as a resource for coping with stress. For three of the participants, getting tattooed helped reduce stress by allowing them to express and relive their emotions. Tattoos offered a sense of relief and calm. One participant explained, “Mostly, some of the tattoos help me lower my stress level and be calmer. I could actually boil with stress in certain situations, but when I think about the tattoos being a part of what I experienced, I’m calmer and less stressed by the situation.” Other participants viewed their tattoos as sources of strength and empowerment, giving positive meaning to their hardships.

“This qualitative study shows that combat soldiers use tattoos as a coping resource to enable them to adjust and cope with events they were exposed to during their combat military service. The participants’ discourse revealed two coping resources, which the soldiers utilized through tattooing: emotional‐relief and positive‐productive coping. According to the participants, it seems that both types of the coping resources are adaptive. The emotional‐relief coping resource may be effective in reducing distress and the positive‐productive coping resource may be effective in enhancing positive feelings,” the study authors concluded.

The study contributes to the growing body of research on how tattoos can serve psychological and emotional functions, particularly among combat veterans. However, the authors caution that this is a small, qualitative study involving only eight Israeli soldiers. The findings may not generalize to soldiers from other cultures or military systems.

The paper, “Tattooing Among Combat Soldiers as a Coping Resource With Their Military Service Experiences,” was authored by Keren Cohen‐Louck and Yakov Iluz.