"I Said Things I Needed to Hear Myself": Peer Support as an Emotional, Organisational, and Sociotechnical Practice in Singapore

2025-06-11

AI Summary

This study addresses the misalignment between technical design and cultural context in digital mental health platforms, focusing on peer support practices in Asia—with Singapore as a key case. Through in-depth interviews with 20 hybrid (online/offline) peer supporters and employing thematic analysis alongside contextualized design research, we systematically uncover three interrelated practice dimensions: emotional labor, organizational strategies, and socio-technical embedding—constituting the first empirical characterization of such practices in this setting. We propose a “culturally responsive AI-augmentation framework,” positioning AI as a humble collaborator—not a replacement—for peer supporters, and derive four AI-cooperation principles and seven actionable design directions. Our findings provide empirically grounded, methodologically rigorous foundations for developing trustworthy, locally attuned, and relationally empowering mental health technologies. This work has been accepted to CHI 2025.

Technology Category

• Humans and AI: Planning and Decision Support for Human-Machine Teams
• Philosophy and Ethics of AI: Safety, Robustness & Trustworthiness
• Intelligent Robots: Embodied AI

Application Category

• Responsible Web: Machine-in-the-loop, human agency and autonomy
• Economics, Online Markets and Human Computation: Fairness and ethical considerations in crowd work and in human-in-the-loop AI systems
• User Modeling, Personalization and Recommendation: Accountability, Transparency, and Ethics for personalization

Abstract

Peer support plays a vital role in expanding access to mental health care by providing empathetic, community-based support outside formal clinical systems. As digital platforms increasingly mediate such support, the design and impact of these technologies remain under-examined, particularly in Asian contexts. This paper presents findings from an interview study with 20 peer supporters in Singapore, who operate across diverse online, offline, and hybrid environments. Through a thematic analysis, we unpack how participants start, conduct, and sustain peer support, highlighting their motivations, emotional labour, and the sociocultural dimensions shaping their practices. Building on this grounded understanding, we surface design directions for culturally responsive digital tools that scaffold rather than supplant relational care. Drawing insights from qualitative accounts, we offer a situated perspective on how AI might responsibly augment peer support. This research contributes to human-centred computing by articulating the lived realities of peer supporters and proposing design implications for trustworthy and context-sensitive AI in mental health.

Problem

• Examining digital peer support design in Asian mental health contexts
• Understanding emotional and sociocultural aspects of peer support practices
• Developing culturally responsive AI tools for relational mental health care

Innovation

• Culturally responsive digital tools for peer support
• AI augmentation of peer support practices
• Context-sensitive AI design in mental health