Psychological Well BeingSHUKRNCT07783438
An Gratitude Programme Based on Islamic Teaching for the Well-Being of Emerging Adults
A study testing Islamic Integrated gratitude intervention in people with Psychological Well Being, run by Lincoln University College.
Trial summary
Gratitude practices have been shown to improve well-being but nearly all the programs tested so far were designed without reference to Islamic understanding. This study tests a month-long gratitude program built around the Islamic concept of shukr. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 29 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Psychological Well Being
- What is being tested?
- Islamic Integrated gratitude intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 160 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- Sep 2026to Feb 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 29 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- Muslim adults aged 18-29 years (emerging adulthood)
- Sufficient English literacy to read the workbook independently
- Reliable internet access for online group sessions
- Able to provide informed consent
Who cannot join
- Currently receiving treatment for a severe mental health condition
- Currently in acute crisis or experiencing active suicidal ideation
- Currently on psychiatric medication
- Bereavement within the past 6 months
About this study
Official title: Development and Validation of an Islamic Integrated Gratitude Intervention for Enhancing Well-Being Among Pakistani Muslim Adults
Gratitude practices have been shown to improve well-being but nearly all the programs tested so far were designed without reference to Islamic understanding.
This study tests a month-long gratitude program built around the Islamic concept of shukr. Participants complete a short daily journal entry, watch a short video before each day, and attend 5 online group sessions across 4 weeks.
Read more
The content covers what Shukr (Islamic gratitude) means, how it is expressed towards Allah and towards other people, and how it works during difficult times.
Participants are Muslim emerging adults aged 18 to 29 from Pakistan. They are randomly assigned either to the experimental or control group. Well-being and gratitude are measured before the program, at the end of the program, and at a follow-up after three months.
Read the detailed description
The intervention was developed following the Medical Research Council framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions (Skywington et al, 2021). Development drew on a systematic literature review and 2 qualitative studies and interviews. First, with Islamic scholars, which produced a model of shukr covering its theocentric foundation, its expression through heart, tongue, and limbs, its unconditional character, the virtue surrounding it, the humility it produces, and its social outworking. Second, the interviews with practitioners experienced in delivering psychological interventions, which produced design and safeguarding requirements.
Existing gratitude interventions show modest effects, and three limitations recur: gratitude directed at other people can produce a sense of indebtedness rather than appreciation; gratitude exercises perform poorly for people who are currently distressed because the exercise depends on identifying benefits; and interventions transported without cultural adaptation lose effect, particularly when adaptation stays at the surface rather than the emerging population's own framework for making sense of events.
The intervention addresses each of these: gratitude is directed towards Allah, who requires no repayment in kind; shukr is paired with Sabr (patience), which makes gratitude practicable during hardship rather than only after benefit. The daily practice is attached to an existing routine to support habit formation, and content is drawn from Quranic text and prophetic narration rather than from a single scholarly tradition.
The intervention structure: 26 journal entries across 4 weeks, which are accompanied by prerecorded videos (presenting the same teaching and prompt as the workbook) and five facilitated group live sessions delivered online.The first session proceeds before day 1 of journal entries; the remaining sessions fall roughly at the end of each week. Week 3 addresses gratitude during hardship and includes content on adversity, unanswered prayers, and difficult relationships. Participants are informed which days are there before a week begins and may skip any day without explanation.
Safeguards include explicit exclusion of abusive relationships from the content on difficult people, wording that does not require disclosure of private matters, an anonymous well-being check administered roughly mid-intervention, and a defined support and escalation procedures.
- Conditions
- Psychological Well Being
- Being tested
- Islamic Integrated gratitude intervention
- Keywords
- gratitude, shukr, Islamic Psychology, Emerging Adults, Feasibility, RCT
- Medical subject headings
- Psychological Well-Being
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Islamic Integrated gratitude interventionBehavioural
Also called Shukr
An Islamically integrated gratitude intervention delivered over four weeks, comprising daily journal prompts, pre-recorded videos, and five facilitated live online group sessions.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Shukr Intervention | Experimental | Participants receive the Islamic integrated gratitude programme delivered over four weeks. This includes a daily journal entry guided by a workbook, alongside pre-recorded videos (before each journal day, presenting the same teaching and prompt as the journal entry), and five facilitated live online group sessions. Receives: Behavioral: Islamic Integrated gratitude intervention |
| Waitlist Control | No intervention | Participants complete the same outcome measures at the same time points but receive no intervention during the study period. They are offered the full SHUKR programme after the final follow-up assessment is complete. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Psychological Well-Being Assessed Using Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale (18-Item Version)
Psychological well-being is assessed using the 18-item version of Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale. Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 7 (strongly disagree). Items 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17, and 18 are reverse-scored. The total score ranges from 18 to 126, with higher scores indicating greater psychological well-being. The scale assesses autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.
Measured: Baseline (before intervention) and immediately after the 30-day intervention and at a 3-month follow-up
Secondary outcomes (1)
Gratitude Questionnaire (Six Item Form)
Gratitude is assessed using the six-item Gratitude Questionnaire-Six Item Form (GQ-6). Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly disagree) to 7 (strongly agree). Items 3 and 6 are reverse-scored. The total score ranges from 6 to 42, with higher scores indicating greater gratitude.
Measured: Baseline (before intervention) and immediately after the 30-day intervention and at a 3-month follow-up
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted24 Aug 2026
- Study startSep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completionOct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completionFeb 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Psychological Well BeingStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 160 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Lincoln University College
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Bela Akhtar Hasan Khan, Lincoln University College
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07783438
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- LUC-IIGI-2026
- Acronym
- SHUKR
- Status last verified
- Aug 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Aug 2026
- Last updated
- 27 Aug 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- No: Individual participant data will not be shared because participant consent did not include sharing data with other researchers.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 27 Aug 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Development and Validation of an Islamic Integrated Gratitude Intervention for Enhancing Well-Being Among Pakistani Muslim Adults
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07783438
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- SHUKR / LUC-IIGI-2026
- Conditions
- Psychological Well Being
- Keywords
- gratitude, shukr, Islamic Psychology, Emerging Adults, Feasibility, RCT
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 160 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Lincoln University CollegeUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Sep 2026 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2026 (estimated)
- Study completion
- Feb 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 24 Aug 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Gratitude practices have been shown to improve well-being but nearly all the programs tested so far were designed without reference to Islamic understanding.
This study tests a month-long gratitude program built around the Islamic concept of shukr. Participants complete a short daily journal entry, watch a short video before each day, and attend 5 online group sessions across 4 weeks.
The content covers what Shukr (Islamic gratitude) means, how it is expressed towards Allah and towards other people, and how it works during difficult times.
Participants are Muslim emerging adults aged 18 to 29 from Pakistan. They are randomly assigned either to the experimental or control group. Well-being and gratitude are measured before the program, at the end of the program, and at a follow-up after three months.
Detailed description
The intervention was developed following the Medical Research Council framework for developing and evaluating complex interventions (Skywington et al, 2021). Development drew on a systematic literature review and 2 qualitative studies and interviews. First, with Islamic scholars, which produced a model of shukr covering its theocentric foundation, its expression through heart, tongue, and limbs, its unconditional character, the virtue surrounding it, the humility it produces, and its social outworking. Second, the interviews with practitioners experienced in delivering psychological interventions, which produced design and safeguarding requirements.
Existing gratitude interventions show modest effects, and three limitations recur: gratitude directed at other people can produce a sense of indebtedness rather than appreciation; gratitude exercises perform poorly for people who are currently distressed because the exercise depends on identifying benefits; and interventions transported without cultural adaptation lose effect, particularly when adaptation stays at the surface rather than the emerging population's own framework for making sense of events.
The intervention addresses each of these: gratitude is directed towards Allah, who requires no repayment in kind; shukr is paired with Sabr (patience), which makes gratitude practicable during hardship rather than only after benefit. The daily practice is attached to an existing routine to support habit formation, and content is drawn from Quranic text and prophetic narration rather than from a single scholarly tradition.
The intervention structure: 26 journal entries across 4 weeks, which are accompanied by prerecorded videos (presenting the same teaching and prompt as the workbook) and five facilitated group live sessions delivered online.The first session proceeds before day 1 of journal entries; the remaining sessions fall roughly at the end of each week. Week 3 addresses gratitude during hardship and includes content on adversity, unanswered prayers, and difficult relationships. Participants are informed which days are there before a week begins and may skip any day without explanation.
Safeguards include explicit exclusion of abusive relationships from the content on difficult people, wording that does not require disclosure of private matters, an anonymous well-being check administered roughly mid-intervention, and a defined support and escalation procedures.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Shukr Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Islamic Integrated gratitude interventionParticipants receive the Islamic integrated gratitude programme delivered over four weeks. This includes a daily journal entry guided by a workbook, alongside pre-recorded videos (before each journal day, presenting the same teaching and prompt as the journal entry), and five facilitated live online group sessions. |
| Waitlist Control | No intervention | –Participants complete the same outcome measures at the same time points but receive no intervention during the study period. They are offered the full SHUKR programme after the final follow-up assessment is complete. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 29 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Muslim adults aged 18-29 years (emerging adulthood)
- Sufficient English literacy to read the workbook independently
- Reliable internet access for online group sessions
- Able to provide informed consent
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Currently receiving treatment for a severe mental health condition
- Currently in acute crisis or experiencing active suicidal ideation
- Currently on psychiatric medication
- Bereavement within the past 6 months
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Islamic Integrated gratitude interventionAlso: ShukrAn Islamically integrated gratitude intervention delivered over four weeks, comprising daily journal prompts, pre-recorded videos, and five facilitated live online group sessions. | Behavioural | Shukr Intervention |
Primary outcome
Psychological Well-Being Assessed Using Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale (18-Item Version)
Time frame: Baseline (before intervention) and immediately after the 30-day intervention and at a 3-month follow-up
Psychological well-being is assessed using the 18-item version of Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale. Items are rated on a 7-point scale from 1 (strongly agree) to 7 (strongly disagree). Items 1, 2, 3, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 17, and 18 are reverse-scored. The total score ranges from 18 to 126, with higher scores indicating greater psychological well-being. The scale assesses autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance.
1 secondary outcome
Gratitude Questionnaire (Six Item Form)
Time frame: Baseline (before intervention) and immediately after the 30-day intervention and at a 3-month follow-up
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 27 Aug 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: No. Individual participant data will not be shared because participant consent did not include sharing data with other researchers.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Islamic Integrated gratitude intervention in people with Psychological Well Being, run by Lincoln University College.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 27 Aug 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Psychological Well-Being Assessed Using Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale (18-Item Version) (time frame: Baseline (before intervention) and immediately after the 30-day intervention and at a 3-month follow-up). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 27 Aug 2026.