An examination of the Entrapment Scale: Factor structure, correlates, and implications for suicide prevention

•Support for a two-factor (i.e., internal and external entrapment) Entrapment Scale was observed for both samples of young adults.•External entrapment factor loadings varied by U.K. versus U.S. sample.•Both types of entrapment were associated with poorer mental health, elevated suicidal cognitions, and escalated suicide-related behavior.•Internal entrapment and perceived burdensomeness were robustly associated with suicide outcomes in the United Kingdom sample only.•External entrapment was modestly associated with suicide outcomes in the United States sample only. Entrapment is an emerging theoretical and empirical factor associated with suicide. The current study expanded our understanding of entrapment by examining the Entrapment Scale factor structure, demographic correlates, and association with suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs). Data from an online cross-national study of suicide were analyzed from two samples of young adults aged 18–34 (United Kingdom [U.K.] sample N = 418; United States [U.S.] N = 414). Primary findings included: (1) factor-analytic support for a two factor (i.e., internal and external) Entrapment Scale structure; (2) variation in external entrapment subscale factor loadings by sample; (3) significant demographic correlates of elevated entrapment of younger age, female gender, and U.S. sample; (4) significant convergent positive associations for both entrapment types with cognitive (e.g., perceived burdensomeness), mental health (e.g., anxiety), and STB correlates; and (5) significant, robust associations of internal entrapment and perceived burdensomeness with STBs in the U.K. sample. Implications are reviewed for suicide prevention theory, research and practice.