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.

翻译：同伴支持通过提供正式临床系统之外共情化的社区支持，在扩大精神卫生服务可及性方面发挥着关键作用。随着数字平台日益成为这种支持的中介，这些技术的设计及其影响仍未得到充分审视，尤其是在亚洲语境中。本文呈现了一项对新加坡20位同伴支持者的访谈研究成果，这些支持者活跃于多元化的线上、线下及混合环境中。通过主题分析，我们揭示了参与者如何启动、开展和维持同伴支持，着重探讨其动机、情感劳动以及塑造其实践的社会文化维度。基于这一扎根理解，我们提出了文化响应型数字工具的设计方向，这些工具应能支撑而非取代关系性照护。从质性叙述中汲取洞见，我们提供了关于人工智能如何负责任地增强同伴支持的情境化视角。本研究通过阐述同伴支持者的真实生活体验，并为精神卫生领域可信且情境敏感的人工智能提出设计启示，从而为人本计算领域做出贡献。