• Tinna Olsen
4. semester, Socialt Arbejde, Kandidat (Kandidatuddannelse)
Thesis title: Spirituality – A dimension that is overlooked in substance – and alcohol abuse problems? - An empirical study of the significance of spirituality in order to achieve and preserve a drug and alcohol free life seen from the perspective of recovering addicts. Alongside evidence that a spiritual orientation may help prevent the development of substance abuse, emerging academic empirical evidence implies a role for spirituality in recovery from substance abuse. Several international studies have suggested that spirituality may correlate with the length of sobriety and clean-time, but empirical work in this field has never been done in a Danish context: Thereby the knowledge regarding whether individual’s experiences ameliorating effects of spirituality in the process of recovery is limited. This thesis explores precisely this question: To what extent does recovering addicts ascribe significance to spirituality in order to achieve and preserve a drug and alcohol free life? The thesis operate with a time-line, where achieving involves a retrospective focus on the point in time during substance abuse treatment and preserving involves a focus on the period of time following treatment completion up until 20 years of sobriety and clean-time. The process of clarifying the concept of spirituality resulted in the following nominal definition: ‘Spirituality encompasses an individual’s innate need for forgiveness, love, trust, hope and search for a sense of meaning and a morally fulfilling relationship with self, other people, the universe and the relationship with a Higher Power as understood by the individual’. Four subdimensions were delineated of the concept; hope, meaning faith and community. Indicators were developed through the process of descending the ladder of abstraction, which resulted in approximately 18 questions in a questionnaire. The thesis is based on the premise that there is a correlation between spirituality and abstinence, but is still, due to the lack of knowledge in a Danish context, exploratory, which indicates a conglomerate of induction and deduction and is based on method triangulation; an empirical quantitative survey with a cross-sectional design, rooted in a positivist approach and a qualitative interview study, rooted in a hermeneutical and phenomenological approach to theory of science. Data derived from the two empirical studies consists of 150 respondents and 4 informants. The quantitative analysis consist of univariate, bivariate and Multiple Classification Analysis (MCA) which generally indicates that spirituality is ascribed significance both during treatment and afterwards. Additionally the analysis suggests emergence of patterns indicating hoping having a significant effect during treatment, whereas the other three subdimensions steps into the background during that time. On the contrary the subdimension hope seems to step into the background in relation to preserving recovery, whereas the subdimension community clearly is ascribed importance during the first years of recovery and from then on fades out, although it does not loose importance entirely. The subdimension concerning privatized faith, seems to undergo the exact opposite pattern; from being ascribed some importance during treatment and the first years of abstinence, the dimension experiences an increase in ascribing significance in order to preserve abstinence. As a result of the method triangulation, the quantitative analysis is supplemented by the quantitative analysis where patterns are explored further and in depth. The qualitative analysis both confirms the patterns but also contributes with an in depth understanding of the significance ascribed the four subdimensions viewed in the perspective of former addicts. In conclusion it is found that spirituality correlates with the length of abstinence and that the four delineated subdimensions all are ascribed significance by former addicts. The findings are supportive of the international literature that shows a weak to moderate relationship between spirituality and length of recovery. Although there was a wide variation in the size of the subdimensions–length of recovery correlations, the findings suggest that further research is needed in order to fully understand the role of spirituality in order to achieve abstinence (for instance through substance abuse treatment) and preserve abstinence (for instance through Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous involvement).
Udgivende institutionAalborg Universitet
ID: 14685110