The new 12-month university study of people being treated for alcohol and drug dependency in the Salvation Army Bridge Programme reports that client recovery outcomes match those of leading overseas treatment programmes.
Conducted by the university's departments of psychology, psychological medicine, and preventive and social medicine, the study tracked the health outcomes of 325 Bridge Programme clients throughout the country.
Commissioner Alistair Herring, national director of addiction services for the Salvation Army, said the study showed clients were ''benefiting substantially'' from the treatment programme, and this was ''an extremely pleasing result''.
Dr Tess Patterson, who co-led the study with Dr Julien Gross, said clients who completed treatment experienced significant reductions in harmful substance use and improvements in physical and mental health.
Three years of hard work, including preparation, had been required to undertake the ''unique'' and comprehensive national study, and many challenges had been faced and overcome.
And some aspects of the research could have initially been ''a little bit frightening'' and challenging in some quarters, but the Salvation Army wanted to have an independent assessment and the results were positive.
''It was a major piece of work and we're very happy with the outcome.''
Dr Richard Egan, a health promotion researcher in the Otago preventive and social medicine department, evaluated the role of spirituality, which was a key part of the Salvation Army programme.
Dr Egan said it appeared that an ''awareness of generic spirituality'' - but ''not necessarily religion'' - improved outcomes for participants.
And the vast majority of clients valued the role of spirituality in the programme.
This was particularly important in the health recovery of indigenous Maori and Pacific Islands clients.
Dr Egan read thousands of lines of comment on aspects of spirituality, written by surveyed Bridge clients.
''I was surprised just how strongly the spiritual element came through,'' he said.
Some participants noted their awareness of a sense of meaninglessness or spiritual vacuum, either personally or in society generally, he said.
One survey participant said he now had ''greater awareness of spiritual bankruptcy'' and ''a greater sense of enlightenment''.
Others said ''I have found some of my soul'' and ''there is a meaning and purpose to my life'', which previously had felt ''meaningless''.
In 2011, the university and the Salvation Army signed a memorandum of understanding, resulting in some of Otago's leading academics evaluating Salvation Army social programmes and providing ''rigorous international research-based evidence'' for those programmes.
