No Way Out: Entrapment as a Moderator of Suicide Ideation Among Military Personnel

OBJECTIVE: Suicide is a leading and growing cause of death in the military during peacetime. This study sought to examine the psychological mechanisms relating to entrapment, stress, and psychological protective factors facilitating suicide ideation among military personnel.

METHOD: The study population comprised 168 soldiers (aged 18-21) divided into 3 groups: suicide attempters (n = 58), those receiving treatment by a mental health professional, reporting no suicidal behavior (n = 58), and controls (n = 50).

RESULTS: In general, the suicidal group scored higher than the 2 other groups in stress levels and entrapment but lower than the other 2 groups in perceived problem-solving abilities and perceived social support. Moreover, the interaction of stress and entrapment predict suicide ideation beyond stress, protective factors, and entrapment alone.

CONCLUSION: Entrapment is an important predictor of suicide ideation and can serve as a moderator, in that its presence may exacerbate the harsh situation of subjective stress within the military context and intensify it into a suicide risk.