Abstract
BackgroundDefeat and entrapment have been shown to be of central relevance to the development of different disorders. However, it remains unclear whether they represent two distinct constructs or one overall latent variable. One reason for the unclarity is that traditional factor analytic techniques have trouble estimating the right number of clusters in highly correlated data. In this study, we applied a novel approach based on network analysis that can deal with correlated data to establish whether defeat and entrapment are best thought of as one or multiple constructs.MethodsExplanatory graph analysis was used to estimate the number of dimensions within the 32 items that make up the defeat and entrapment scales in two samples: an online community sample of 480 participants, and a clinical sample of 147 inpatients admitted to a psychiatric hospital after a suicidal attempt or severe suicidal crisis. Confirmatory Factor analysis (CFA) was used to test whether the proposed structure fits the data.ResultsIn both samples, bootstrapped exploratory graph analysis suggested that the defeat and entrapment items belonged to different dimensions. Within the entrapment items, two separate dimensions were detected, labelled internal and external entrapment. Defeat appeared to be multifaceted only in the online sample. When comparing the CFA outcomes of the one, two, three and four factor models, the one factor model was preferred.ConclusionsDefeat and entrapment can be viewed as distinct, yet, highly associated constructs. Thus, although replication is needed, results are in line with theories differentiating between these two constructs.
Highlights
Defeat and entrapment have been shown to be of central relevance to the development of different disorders
N = 142 (29.6%) participants of the online sample reported some amount of suicidal ideation indexed by a DSI-SS sumscore ≥ 1
When analyzing data from an online and a clinical sample, we found that the defeat and entrapment items did not cluster into one factor, but rather into distinct, yet, highly related factors
Summary
Defeat and entrapment have been shown to be of central relevance to the development of different disorders. It remains unclear whether they represent two distinct constructs or one overall latent variable. Gilbert and Allan [1] proposed two central constructs that they assumed to be involved in the development of depressive disorders: defeat and entrapment. Research showed the transdiagnostic relevance of these constructs in the development of depressive, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD), as well as suicidality [5, 6]. Griffiths et al [7] presented evidence in line with the assumption that defeat and entrapment precede the development of depression and anxiety in a longitudinal research design [8].
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