Measurement Invariance of the Four-Item Entrapment Scale Short-Form (E-SF): A Transnational Examination Across Race/Ethnicity, Sexual Orientation, and Suicide Attempt History Among Minoritized Adults

Abstract

Feelings of entrapment—posited to arise when attempts to escape from defeating or humiliating circumstances are blocked—may confer increased risk for psychopathology and suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STB), particularly among minoritized individuals who often have more frequent exposure to such experiences. Including entrapment in empirical models may aid research efforts in further exploring its role in minority mental health. The Entrapment Scale Short-Form (E-SF), a brief version of the 16-item Entrapment Scale, is one tool that may be utilized toward this end; however, to do so meaningfully, its psychometric properties and measurement invariance must be evaluated in diverse samples. This study aimed to examine the factor structure, measurement invariance, and convergent validity of the E-SF across race/ethnicity and sexual orientation in a combined transnational sample of minoritized adults (total N = 1,194). Results supported a one-factor model of the E-SF that was invariant across samples, race/ethnicity, sexual orientation, and history of suicide attempt. Furthermore, significant positive correlations observed between theoretically relevant constructs of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms supported its convergent validity. Implications include disproportionate levels of entrapment experienced by minoritized individuals—particularly by sexual minorities—which likely reflect the discrimination frequently endured by these individuals.