The abstract is a very important element of any research paper in psychology and other social sciences. As such, crafting an effective abstract requires careful thinking and formulation. This example abstract aims to demonstrate the key components and structure of an APA style abstract for a research paper.
The study examined the relationship between stress and coping mechanisms in college students. Research has shown that college is a highly stressful period in a person’s life due to academic pressures and adjustments to independent living. Little research has explored how different coping strategies may impact the experience of stress in college students. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between perceived stress levels and various coping mechanisms (problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and avoidant coping) in undergraduate students.
A sample of 123 undergraduate students from a large public university participated in the study. Participants completed an online survey consisting of the Perceived Stress Scale and the COPE Inventory. The Perceived Stress Scale assessed students’ perceived stress levels over the past month, and the COPE Inventory measured usage of three broad coping strategies: problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, and avoidant coping.
Pearson correlation analyses revealed significant relationships between stress and coping strategies. Higher levels of perceived stress were positively correlated with greater use of emotion-focused coping (r = .32, p < .01) and avoidant coping (r = .27, p < .01). Stress was not significantly related to problem-focused coping. A multiple linear regression further examined predictors of stress. The regression model was statistically significant, F(3, 119) = 6.23, p < .001, and accounted for 14% of the variance in stress. Within the model, only emotion-focused coping positively predicted perceived stress (β = .25, p < .05).
These findings indicate that college students experiencing greater stress are more likely to employ maladaptive emotion-focused and avoidant coping strategies rather than active problem-focused coping approaches. Emotion-focused coping, in particular, may exacerbate stress levels in college students. The results suggest stress management interventions on college campuses should educate students on the benefits of problem-focused coping and provide skills training for adaptive coping strategies. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed. Overall, this abstract follows the key components and structure typical of APA style abstracts by briefly introducing the topic of the research, stating the purpose and participants, summarizing the methods and key results, and providing the main conclusions. The abstract effectively gives readers a snapshot of the full research paper in a concise yet informative manner, enabling them to quickly understand the focus, methods, and implications of the study without having to read the entire paper. By adhering to APA stylistic guidelines, the abstract also demonstrates the author's understanding of proper scientific writing format. Though brief, this example abstract accomplishes the goal of accurately representing an empirical research study in psychology.