Mental Health Assessment of the Population: Study Protocol of the MAP Research Program in Ukraine (MAP-U) and in Zurich (MAP-Z).

OBJECTIVES: To conduct mental health surveillance in adults in Ukraine and Ukrainian refugees (Canton of Zurich, Switzerland) as an actionable scientific foundation for public mental health and mental healthcare. METHODS: Mental Health Assessment of the Population (MAP) is a research program including prospective, population-based, digital cohort studies focused on mental health monitoring. The study aims to include 17,400 people from the general population of Ukraine, 1,220 Ukrainians with refugee status S residing in the canton of Zurich, and 1,740 people from the Zurich general population. The primary endpoints are prevalence and incidence of symptoms of: posttraumatic stress disorder (measured by PCL-5), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7), and alcohol use disorder (AUDIT). Secondary endpoints include participants' health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L and EQ-VAS), experiences of somatic distress syndrome (PHQ-15), social isolation, social integration, and mental wellbeing (SWEMWBS). RESULTS: Baseline assessment starts in March 2024 with follow-ups occurring every 3 months for at least 2 years. CONCLUSION: MAP will generate reliable, comparable, and high-quality epidemiological data to inform public mental health and healthcare policies in the Ukrainian population. ISRCTN REGISTRY: https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN17240415.