Attempting to assess how patients diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) cope with their illness may involve quantitative and qualitative analysis. Based on the study of various criteria affecting the development of the disease and its progress, a health scientist can apply the method of differentiating the evaluation depending on certain factors. As Dempster, Howell, and McCorry argue, concerning health issues, such a variable as coping may involve assessing patients’ state of life qualitatively, particularly their adaptation to current challenges. For example, those forced to undergo treatment for PTSD have to experience periodic panic attacks, depression, negative flashbacks, and other symptoms of this disorder. Accordingly, to a qualitative degree, measuring patients’ psychological state based on surveys and lifestyle studies may be performed to identify specific correlations.
When considering such a variable as coping quantitatively, other criteria need to be involved. People with PTSD form a significant base of patients with mental disorders, and the dynamics of recovery is one of the factors that may be assessed. For instance, to evaluate coping with the disease, it is possible to study the number of the documented cases of remission. To investigate this variable, one can track what percentage of patients demonstrates an improvement in the psycho-emotional state under the influence of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions. Also, as a criterion for quantification, the ratio of recovery cases through various procedures can be considered. If certain steps prove to be more effective than others, this will make up a positive correlation for coping with PTSD and help identify the number of patients overcoming the disorder successfully. Therefore, both the qualitative and quantitative assessment of such a variable as coping may be performed without significant difficulties.