Fostering Ukraine's Capacity in the Delivery and Research of Innovative Evidence-based PTSD Treatment
Phase: NA
Conditions: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder PTSD, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, PTSD
Sponsor: University of Luxembourg

 
 
 
 
 
 
1 
December 10, 2025 
RESEARCH PROTOCOL FOR THE PROJECT 
FOSTERING UKRAINE’S CAPACITY IN DELIVERY AND 
RESEARCH OF INNOVATIVE EVIDENCE-BASED PTSD 
TREATMENT 
 
SECTION 1: PROJECT 
 
Title: 
Fostering Ukraine’s capacity in delivery and research of 
innovative evidence-based PTSD treatment 
Acronym: 
Lux4UA 
 
Applicant(s): 
Researcher/Student 
Name: 
Viktoriia Gorbunova 
Position at UL: 
Research scientist 
Faculty / IC: 
FHSE 
Research Unit: 
Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences 
Telephone no: 
(+352) 621 749 29 
Email: 
viktoriia.gorbunova@uni.lu 
 
Principal Investigator  
Name: 
Viktoriia Gorbunova 
Position at UL: 
Research scientist 
Faculty / IC: 
FHSE 
Research Unit: 
Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Sciences 
Telephone no: 
(+352) 621 749 29 
Email: 
viktoriia.gorbunova@uni.lu 
 
 
Funding: 
Source: 
FNR under LUXAID BRIDGES CALL 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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SECTION 2: SHORT SUMMARY OF THE PROJECT  
(including research design and methodology)  
 
The Lux4UA Project’s goal is to foster Ukrainian mental health professionals’ capacity in 
transdisciplinary research on innovative, evidence-based trauma treatment (Reconsolidation 
of Traumatic Memories (RTM) Protocol) in humanitarian emergencies due to war and 
displacement. To accomplish this goal, the RTM Protocol Effectiveness and Feasibility studies 
will be conducted.  
The RTM Protocol effectiveness study implies a randomised field trial comparing RTM with 
treatment-as-usual (Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), Eye Movement 
Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), or pharmacotherapy) across three customary 
clinical settings in Ukraine (hospital in-patient, hospital out-patient, private psychotherapy). 
The primary outcome is the loss of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) diagnosis or change 
in symptoms; secondary outcomes include depression and anxiety at post-treatment, 6 m and 
12 m follow-up.   
Objective 1:  To compare the effectiveness of the RTM Protocol for the treatment of trauma-
related mental conditions with other evidenced-based trauma-focused therapies (TF-CBT, 
EMDR and medication). 
Objective 2:  To investigate the effectiveness of the RTM Protocol for the treatment of trauma-
related mental conditions in different settings of mental health (MH) care (inpatient and 
outpatient hospital care for veterans and private psychotherapy for civilians) 
The RTM Protocol and Training feasibility study will evaluate the RTM Protocol’s 
acceptability and adaptability during training and practice through case statistics, satisfaction 
surveying of MH practitioners and clients, and focus-group interviews with MH practitioners. 
Objective 1: To analyse the acceptability of the RTM Protocol among MH professionals and 
persons with trauma-related MH conditions) 
Objective 2: To analyse the adaptability (Usability of the Ukrainian language versions) of the 
RTM Protocol  
Data will be collected, pseudonymised in Ukraine by implementing partners - the Centre of 
Mental Health and Rehabilitation “Forest Glade” of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine (RCFG) 
and the National Psychological Association of Ukraine (NPAU), and transferred in fully 
anonymised, aggregated form to the University of Luxembourg for analysis. Findings will 
inform humanitarian response policy and sustainable capacity‑building for evidence‑based 
PTSD treatment in low‑resource, conflict settings. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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SECTION 3: AIM OF EACH OF THE STUDIES  
 
Study No. 
Aim  
Study will involve: 
Please tick all appropriate boxes 
Study 1: The 
RTM Protocol 
effectiveness 
study 
To compare the effectiveness of 
the RTM Protocol for the 
treatment of PTSD with other 
evidenced-based trauma-
focused therapies (TF-CBT, 
EMDR and medication) in 
different settings of MH care 
accustomed for Ukraine 
(inpatient and outpatient 
hospital care for war veterans 
and psychotherapy for civil 
trauma survivors). 
 Human participants 
 
 Vulnerable population  
 Human biological material 
 
 Pre-collected biological 
material 
 Personal data 
 
 Pre-collected personal data 
 risks on the environment  
 risks on the society 
Study 2: The 
RTM Protocol 
and Training 
feasibility 
study 
To analyse the acceptability of 
the RTM Protocol among MH 
professionals and persons with 
PTSD and the adaptability of 
the RTM Protocol & RTM 
Training for the country 
context. 
 
 Human participants 
 
 Vulnerable population 
 Human biological material 
 
 Pre-collected biological 
material 
 Personal data 
 
 Pre-collected personal data 
 risks on the environment  
 risks on the society 
Please expand the rows in case of additional studies.  
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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SECTION 4: DETAILS OF EACH STUDY 
Study 1: The RTM Protocol Effectiveness Study 
Target sample 
size: 
(Please justify the 
target sample size, 
either statistically or 
by referring to 
existing literature) 
The research sample for the EFFECTIVENESS STUDY is expected to 
be 120 participants (people with PTSD), approximately equally 
distributed between experimental and control groups (at least 20 
participants).  
The sample expectancy is based on case numbers estimated by every MH 
care provider involved in the Project. The allocation ratio was 
calculated based on the assumption that the mean of PCL-5 would be 
25.0 for the control group and 21.0 for the experimental group (SD of 
3.0); a type 1 risk is 5.0%, and a type 2 risk is 20.0%, for the bilateral 
test and a dropout rate at 20.0%, the minimum N of participants in each 
group should be equal to 12. 
Key inclusion 
criteria: 
Key inclusion criteria for the effectiveness study participants are (1) 
being adults ≥ 18 years, (2) having a diagnosis of PTSD determined by 
DSM-5-TR or ICD-11 and/or (3) having PTSD symptoms causing 
clinically significant distress or impact on social, occupational, or other 
areas of functioning defining on base of using PTSD Checklist PCL-5, 
(4) being resident of Ukraine.  
Key exclusion 
criteria: 
Key exclusion criteria for the effectiveness study participants are (1) 
having any other acute comorbid mental health conditions, (2) receiving 
any other parallel PTSD treatment, (3) being unable to provide informed 
consent, has severe cognitive impairment, or is otherwise unlikely to 
adhere to study procedures. 
Age range of 
participants: 
Adults aged 18‑65. 
Country/ies of 
recruitment: 
Ukraine 
Expected 
duration of 
procedure: 
Data collection will occur at baseline (diagnostic session), 1 month after 
complete treatment application, in 6 months (follow-up booster session), 
and in 12 months (second follow-up booster session) and will take 
approximately 15 min each, 45 min per person.  
Data Collection:  
Paper questionnaires, digital entry; no audio/video. 
Data on age, gender, veteran and IDP statuses, residency, type of 
trauma, medical diagnosis and symptoms, scores from PCL-5 (for 
PTSD), PHQ-9 (for depression), GAD-7 (for anxiety) diagnostic scales 
will be collected from printed questionnaire sheets filled in by 
participants. 
PTSD diagnosis will be collected from medical records. 
Names, email-address, phone number will be collected from printed 
informed consent. 
Data transfer. Aggregated, fully anonymised raw data will be shared by 
implementing partners’ coordinators through Zenodo under closed 
access and using the EUSurvey Platform (an online survey-management 

 
 
 
 
 
 
5 
system developed by the European Commission) only with PI Viktoriia 
Gorbunova. 
 
Methodology: 
Research design. The RTM Protocol effectiveness study implies a 
randomised field trial comparing RTM with treatment‑as‑usual 
(TF‑CBT, EMDR or pharmacotherapy). It is chosen and will be 
standardised based on CONSORT 2010 Statement: reporting parallel 
group randomised trials. To enhance the external validity of the 
findings, all the interventions are planned to be explored among three 
different settings of mental health care accustomed to Ukraine: mental 
health hospital care (inpatient and outpatient care for veterans) and 
psychotherapeutic practice (for civil trauma survivors).  
Measures. Primary outcome effectiveness measures are MH 
professional proved existence or loss of PTSD diagnosis and/or PTSD 
symptoms severity measured by PTSD Checklist PCL-5 (re-experiencing 
of trauma, avoidance of trauma-related stimulus, negative alterations in 
cognition and mood, hyper-arousal).  
Among secondary outcome measures will be the existence and severity 
of depression and anxiety-related symptoms according to PHQ-9 and 
GAD-7 scales.  
Data analysis. Descriptive Statistics: means, SDs, medians, frequencies 
and percentages, baseline comparability between groups (t-tests, chi-
square tests). Primary and Secondary Outcome Analysis: mixed-effects 
repeated measures ANOVA. Handling Missing Data: multiple 
imputation or maximum likelihood estimation under MAR assumption. 
Effect Size Reporting: Cohen’s d, odds ratios, and 95% confidence 
intervals. 
Data collection will be in Ukrainian language (all the scales are 
validated in Ukrainian and recommended by the World Health 
Organisation for the screening of the mentioned mental health 
conditions) at baseline (diagnostic session), 1 month after complete 
treatment application, in 6 months (follow-up booster session), and in 12 
months (second follow-up booster session). 
 
Study 2: The RTM Protocol and Training Feasibility Study 
Target sample 
size: 
(Please justify the 
target sample size, 
either statistically or 
by referring to 
existing literature) 
The research sample for the FEASIBILITY STUDY is expected to be 
20 participants according to the trauma-related cases/workforce 
availability ratio of implementing partners: 10 persons from each site. 
The number of clients is expected to be 60 persons (persons treated with 
the RTM Protocol) according to the RTM Protocol effectiveness study 
description. 
Key inclusion 
criteria: 
Key inclusion criteria for MH professionals are (1) holding an 
accomplished higher education degree in the mental health area 
(psychology, psychiatry, psychiatric nursing, clinical social work), (2) 
having at least three years of hands-on clinical experience in mental-
health settings, (3) being formally trained to deliver mental health care 

 
 
 
 
 
 
6 
to people exposed to trauma through accredited coursework, supervised 
practice, or equivalent, (4) 
meeting Ukrainian licensing and registration requirements mandated 
by health-care regulations and the implementing organisation’s 
internal policies, (5) committing to attend the full training, complete all 
associated supervision sessions, and deliver the Protocol as specified by 
the study timeline. 
The client sample is the same as for the study 1. 
Key exclusion 
criteria: 
Key exclusion criteria for MH professionals are (1) being under 
investigation, suspension, or other disciplinary action by a professional 
body or employer, (2) lacking mandatory professional continuing 
education for the last year (min 40 hours), (3) having caseload 
exceeding the threshold for service quality requirements (> 30 active 
therapy clients). 
The client sample is the same as for the study 1. 
Age range of 
participants: 
Adults aged 18‑65 (with regard to the eligibility criteria). 
The same sample as for the study 1. 
Country/ies of 
recruitment: 
Ukraine 
Expected 
duration of 
procedure: 
MH Professional will be engaged into case statistic collection (30 min 
per case, 1 hour per person); satisfaction surveying (15 min per person) 
and focus-group interviews (1,5 hour of group work).  
 
Clients will be engaged into satisfaction surveying (15 min per person). 
Data Collection:  
Intervention Usability Scale, satisfaction survey; audio‑recorded 
focus‑groups interviews. 
Data on MH professionals’ occupation, place of work, professional 
experience, trauma-centred methods used; data from Intervention 
Usability Scale and case statistics (number of trauma-related requests, 
trauma-specific cases treated with the RTM, hours spent for each case 
treatment, process comfort, expected and reached results, usefulness for 
different types of trauma and trauma-related symptoms), will be 
collected from printed questionnaire sheets filled in by participants. 
Data on MH professionals’ Protocol use features, implementation 
benefits and challenges, effects and consequences, clients’ acceptance 
and perception will be collected and audio-recorded during 
focus‑group interviews. 
MH professionals’ names, email-address, phone number will be 
collected from printed informed consent. 
Data on clients’ treatment satisfaction (process comfort, expected and 
reached results, usefulness for client’s types of trauma and trauma-
related symptoms) will be collected from printed questionnaire sheets 
filled in by participants. 

 
 
 
 
 
 
7 
Clients’ names, email-address, phone number will be collected from 
printed informed consent. 
Data transfer. Aggregated, fully anonymised raw data will be shared by 
implementing partners’ coordinators through Zenodo under closed 
access and using the EUSurvey Platform (an online survey-management 
system developed by the European Commission) only with PI Viktoriia 
Gorbunova. 
 
Methodology: 
Research design. The RTM Protocol and Training feasibility study will 
evaluate the RTM Protocol acceptability and adaptability during 
training and practice through case statistics, satisfaction surveying of 
MH practitioners and clients, and focus-group interviews with MH 
practitioners. As a standardisation base for the feasibility study the 
Framework for the development and evaluation of complex 
interventions issued by the National Institute for Health and Care 
Research (NIHR) was chosen. 
Measures. To assess the RTM Protocol's acceptability by MH 
professionals, case statistics such as the number of trauma-related 
requests, trauma-specific cases treated with the RTM, hours spent for 
each case treatment, etc., will be collected. The standardised 
Intervention Usability Scale will also be applied. 
Also, satisfaction with the procedure and therapeutic process from both 
sides (clients and MH professionals) will be surveyed regarding process 
comfort, expected and reached results, usefulness for different types of 
trauma and trauma-related symptoms, etc.  
MH professionals’ feedback will also be considered during the focus-
group analysis. The focus-group protocol and script will be developed 
with input from every implementing partner to match the local frame of 
mental health care. The script previews topics such as the RTM 
Protocol use features, the RTM Protocol implementation benefits and 
challenges, the RTM Protocol effects and consequences, the RTM 
Protocol clients’ acceptance and perception, etc.  
The RTM Protocol’s adaptability will be measured by analysing the 
case statistics and MH professionals’ feedback for the Ukrainian 
version of the protocol. 
Data analysis. For Quantitative Analysis will be utilised descriptive 
statistics (frequencies, means, SDs for usability and satisfaction scores), 
correlation analysis (between usability scores and satisfaction or case 
outcomes (e.g., Spearman’s rho)). 
Qualitative Analysis will be conducted using thematic analysis 
(transcripts coded using inductive and deductive approaches, themes 
mapped to NIHR framework domains), charting and mapping. 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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SECTION 5: RISK ASSESSMENT AND RISK MINIMIZATION 
 
Study 1: The RTM Protocol Effectiveness Study 
Potential risk(s) 
Extent of risk(s) and measures taken 
 
Human participants are 
involved in the study 
with potential risk 
related to  
 Physical harm 
 Psychological 
harm  
 Invasion of 
privacy 
 Social and 
economic harm 
 Other 
Personal data will be collected (see data collection section). 
Data collection measures. Implementing partners’ coordinators 
will collect data using printed versions of questionaries (which 
will be destroyed after data e-input and prior this time they will 
be stored in a secure storage cabinet).  
Mental health professionals involved in the research will collect 
data on clients (people with PTSD) using clinical scales which 
will be destroyed after data e-input and before it will be stored 
in a secure storage cabinet. 
Data Storage measures. The e-data will be stored on encrypted 
hard drives and will be accessible only to implementing 
partners’ coordinators. They will create password-protected 
access to the data with the help of the organisations’ IT 
departments. 
Data Pseudonymization measures. The data will be 
pseudonymized by the implementing partners’ coordinators and 
professionals involved in the research for the purpose of follow-
up assessments using European Data Protection Board 
Guidelines on Pseudonymisation, 2025. 
Usage and storage of personal data will fully comply with 
Ukrainian legislation, the Civil Code of Ukraine, and the Law of 
Ukraine on the Protection of Personal Data.   
No mentioned non-anonymized personal data will be used for 
the research purposes, transferred or processed in Luxembourg. 
 
Are there any specific 
risks to the human 
participants involved, if 
any. 
Risk of adverse effects is usually considered in studies on mental 
health interventions. It is important to mention that possible 
adverse effects are minimised by the RTM Protocol procedure 
itself, which is focused on processing traumatic events without 
triggering emotional hyperarousal by quick termination of every 
therapeutic technique at first sign of client’ distress. 
Nevertheless, clients’ support will be organised according to 
existing procedures and requirements of mental health care 
established by the implementing partners (RCFG, NPA) and 
through adverse-effect management and reporting that aligns 
with safety requirements of the CONSORT-Harms 2022 
framework. 
Adverse-effect management includes the following measures: 
- anticipating adverse effects (PTSD symptoms deterioration; 
emotional distress); 
- adverse effects monitoring & detection (using implemented 
into the Protocol assessments procedures as measurement of 
subjective distress and physiological arousal calibration, as 

 
 
 
 
 
 
9 
well as additional monitoring with the PCL-5 (for PTSD), PHQ-
9 (for depression), and GAD-7 (for anxiety) diagnostic scales); 
- mitigating adverse effects (terminating the intervention, 
utilizing grounding and "break state" techniques, referring for 
other types of help and support, providing extra visits, crisis 
referrals, and medication); 
- recording every episode of adverse effects in patient 
documentation; 
- reporting adverse effects to the site coordinator for processing 
and reflection in study reports and publications.  
No mentioned project activities will be executed in Luxembourg 
or with Luxembourg or EU residents.    
Study 2: The RTM Protocol and Training Feasibility Study 
 
Human participants are 
involved in the study 
with potential risk 
related to  
 Physical harm 
 Psychological 
harm  
 Invasion of 
privacy 
 Social and 
economic harm 
 Other 
Personal data will be collected (see data collection section). 
Data collection measures. Implementing partners’ coordinators 
will collect data using printed versions of questionaries (which 
will be destroyed after data e-input and prior this time they will 
be stored in a secure storage cabinet) and focus-group 
interviews audio-recordings with following transcription.  
Mental health professionals involved in the research will collect 
data on clients (people with PTSD) using printed versions 
questionaries which will be destroyed after data e-input and 
before it will be stored in a secure storage cabinet. 
Data Storage measures. The e-data will be stored on encrypted 
hard drives and will be accessible only to implementing 
partners’ coordinators. They will create password-protected 
access to the data with the help of the organisations’ IT 
departments. 
Data Pseudonymization measures. The data will be 
anonymized by the implementing partners’ coordinators. 
Usage and storage of personal data will fully comply with 
Ukrainian legislation, the Civil Code of Ukraine, and the Law of 
Ukraine on the Protection of Personal Data.   
No mentioned non-anonymized personal data will be used for 
the research purposes, transferred or processed in Luxembourg. 
Are there any specific 
risks to the human 
participants involved, if 
any. 
There are no anticipated specific risks for the human 
participants. 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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SECTION 6: DATA PROTECTION 
Study 1: The RTM Protocol Effectiveness Study 
The Project PI will have access only to aggregated, anonymised data. The implementing 
partners’ coordinators and professionals involved in the research will collect, pseudonymise 
(for the purpose of follow-up assessment in two weeks, six months, and one year), and 
anonymise the clients’ data. Implementing partners’ coordinators will aggregate the data and 
input it on the EUSurvey Platform (an online survey-management system developed by the 
European Commission) to transfer it to Luxembourg. The transferred data will be stored on 
the University of Luxembourg-protected server ATLAS for up to 10 years. 
Pseudonymisation and Coding Strategy will be based on the European Data Protection 
Board (EDPB) Guidelines on Pseudonymisation, 2025.  
The study design requires pseudonymisation only for follow-up post-treatment assessments 
for PTSD symptoms severity (PCL-5), existence and severity of depression (PHQ-9), and 
anxiety-related (GAD-7) symptoms at 2 weeks, 6 months, and 12 months post-treatment. The 
main purpose is to enable linkage of repeated assessments while restricting direct 
identification. 
It is planned to have 3 experimental groups in 3 different treatment settings (Hospital 
Inpatient, Hospital Outpatient, Psychotherapeutic Practice) and 3 control groups with 
“treatment-as-usual” in the same three types of settings, with 20 participants each. It creates 
6 study samples with 120 participants in total. Each participant will receive a unique study 
participant ID (PID) upon inclusion, generated as: [GroupCode]- [SettingCode]-
[SequentialNumber]. For example, ExpHIP001: Experimental group, Hospital Inpatient 
setting, Participant 1. 
Enrolment and randomisation (steps taken at baseline and immediately after each enrolment). 
As soon as a participant is enrolled, the site coordinator assigns a sequential number, 
allocates the study sample using Randomisation Software, and creates a PID. The 
coordinator writes down the PID on each paper document for follow-up contact and records 
the PID on the pseudonymization key list uploaded to the NPA/ RCFG staff laptop/desktop 
(encrypted hard drives). 
Data collection (before and during follow-up assessments). Whenever data are gathered 
later, the research staff involved (therapists, assessors, or other professionals) manually write 
each participant’s PID on every paper document related to that follow-up contact, allowing 
the data to be linked back to the correct person without revealing their identity. 
For the follow-up post-treatment assessments (2 weeks / 6 months / 12 months), sites’ 
coordinators will use the secure key to retrieve participant contact from the PID. Re-
assessment tools will be administered with the same PID. Results will be stored again using a 
pseudonym only. 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Study 2: The RTM Protocol and Training Feasibility Study 
The Project PI will have access only to aggregated anonymised data (professionals-
participants’ occupation, place of work, duration of professional experience, trauma-centred 
methods used, data from satisfaction surveying, Intervention Usability Scale and focus-group 
interview etc.) Implementing partners’ coordinators will collect, anonymise, aggregate the 
data and input it on the EUSurvey Platform (an online survey-management system developed 
by the European Commission) to transfer it to Luxembourg. Focus-group interview 
transcripts’ transfer to Luxembourg will be done through Zenodo under closed access. The 
transferred data will be stored on the University of Luxembourg-protected server ATLAS for 
up to 10 years. 
 
 
Comments on the possible misuse of the research: 
The Lux4UA project is designed exclusively to evaluate the effectiveness and feasibility of the 
RTM Protocol. It does not aim to collect prevalence data, epidemiological statistics, or any 
form of population-level surveillance. All data are collected solely for the purpose of 
assessing therapeutic outcomes and implementation feasibility within predefined clinical 
settings. 
No new diagnostic tools are being developed, and no data will be used to infer broader 
mental health trends or conditions across populations. The study samples are limited, 
purposive, and context-specific, selected based on clinical availability. Therefore, the findings 
cannot be extrapolated to estimate prevalence or inform policy beyond the scope of treatment 
evaluation. 
Furthermore, the project does not involve any form of geolocation, behavioral tracking, or 
longitudinal profiling beyond anonymized follow-up assessments. All data are pseudonymized 
and aggregated before analysis, and no individual-level identifiers are retained or 
transferred. 
Given the sensitive context of war and displacement, we acknowledge the theoretical risk of 
misinterpretation or misuse of mental health data. To mitigate this, the project adheres 
strictly to ethical guidelines from EFPA, CIOMS, and the IASC, and all implementing 
partners operate under national ethical oversight. The research outputs will be framed 
explicitly within humanitarian and clinical care contexts, avoiding any language or framing 
that could be construed as diagnostic surveillance or military profiling. 
We also commit to transparency in dissemination: all publications will include clear 
disclaimers about the scope and limitations of the data, and no data will be shared with third 
parties outside the research consortium. 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Data storage 
 
Raw data 
(incl. video or audio 
recordings) 
Processed data 
(anonymized, pseudonymized) 
Document(s) 
containing the names, 
contact information and 
personal details (the 
pseudonymisation key list) 
Other 
material 
Data 
carrier 
(digitalized 
or paper 
form) 
Paper questionnaires 
Focus-group 
interview audio-
recordings. 
Excel files with fully 
anonymised data 
exported from 
EUSurvey Platform  
Word files with fully 
anonymised data 
transcripted from 
focus-group 
interview audio-
recordings. 
Informed consent 
forms, 
pseudonymization 
key list.  
 
Number of 
copies 
Paper questionnaires 
for each client, 120 
copies; for each MH 
professional, 40 
copies. 
Focus-group 
interview audio-
recordings, 1 copy 
for each 
implementing 
partner. 
Numbers required by 
the needs of analysis, 
1 copy for each type 
of data. 
Informed consent 
forms for each client, 
120 copies; for each 
MH professional, 40 
copies. 
Pseudonymization 
key list, 1 copy for 
each site. 
 
Storage 
Location 
Paper questionnaires 
are stored in locked 
cabinets at the sites' 
locations in Ukraine. 
Focus-group 
interview audio-
recordings are stored 
locally on encrypted 
hard drives of 
implementing 
partners. 
EUSurvey Platform 
(for data collection); 
ATLAS server (for 
data analysis and 
storage); Repository 
Zenodo (under closed 
access for data 
transferring; under 
open-access 
repository for open-
access publications); 
Repository ORBilu 
(for open-access 
publications) 
Informed consent 
forms are stored in 
locked cabinets at the 
sites' locations. 
Pseudonymization 
key lists are stored 
locally on encrypted 
hard drives of 
implementing 
partners. 
 
Retention 
period 
Paper questionnaires 
will be destroyed 
after digital entry. 
on EUSurvey 
Platform for 1 year; 
on ATLAS for up to 
10 years; on Zenodo 
for the repository's 
lifetime, on ORBilu 
for the repository's 
lifetime. 
 
Identifying data will 
be deleted 5 years 
following end of 
research project. 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
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Data access 
Data collection. Implementing partners’ coordinators (Tetiana Sirenko from the RCFG, 
Valeriia Palii from the NPA) will collect data on MH professionals using printed versions of 
questionnaires and focus-group interviews audio-recordings with the following transcription. 
All the data will be destroyed after data digital entry (made by coordinators) and prior to this 
time they will be stored in a secure storage cabinet and on encrypted hard drives. 
Mental health professionals involved in the research will collect data on clients (people with 
PTSD) using printed versions of questionnaires and clinical scales, which will be destroyed 
after data digital entry (made by coordinators) and prior to this time they will be stored in a 
secure storage cabinet. 
Data Storage. The e-data will be stored on encrypted hard drives and will be accessible only 
to implementing partners’ coordinators. They will create password-protected access to the data 
with the help of the organisations’ IT departments. 
Data Pseudonymization. The implementing partners’ coordinators (Tetiana Sirenko from the 
RCFG, Valeriia Palii from the NPA) will pseudonymize the data for follow-up assessments. 
Data sharing. Aggregated, fully anonymised raw data will be shared by implementing partners’ 
coordinators (Tetiana Sirenko from the RCFG, Valeriia Palii from the NPA) through Zenodo 
under closed access and using the EUSurvey Platform (an online survey-management system 
developed by the European Commission) only with PI Viktoriia Gorbunova.