Identification of key elements and driving mechanisms in university early warning systems for suicide and violence crises—Based on the TOE framework and the DEMATEL-ISM model

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

Purpose: This study aims to elucidate the internal operational logic of psychological crisis early warning systems (PCEWS) for college students, overcome the limitations of static and unidimensional perspectives in existing research, and provide theoretical support and practical pathways for system optimization. Methods: Based on the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, 12 key elements of the PCEWS were extracted. Drawing upon the empirical operational records of 13 representative universities and domain expert knowledge, an integrated DEMATEL-ISM (Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory-Interpretive Structural Modeling) approach was employed to analyze the causal relationships and hierarchical driving mechanisms among these elements. Results: The PCEWS is comprehensively constrained by multidimensional elements. Financial investment, the formalization of mechanisms, and human resource allocation are identified as the foundational elements, exhibiting the highest centrality and a strong degree of cause. The system exhibits a three-tier hierarchical driving structure: the deep-level financial and institutional elements, through resource injection and institutional empowerment, drive the middle-level data updating processes and systematic training construction. These, in turn, sustain the surface-level outcomes, including the proactiveness of early warnings, cross-departmental collaboration, and the effectiveness of home-school synergy. Conclusions: This study rectifies the misconception in PCEWS construction that overemphasizes technology at the expense of management. It provides a scientific decision-making basis and optimization pathways for universities to precisely allocate mental health resources and eliminate operational barriers within the early warning system.