A Vision to Enhance Trust Requirements for Peer Support Systems by Revisiting Trust Theories

TL;DR

This paper proposes a new trust framework based on interdisciplinary trust theories to better understand and improve healthcare workers' trust in virtual Peer Support Systems, aiming to enhance participation and effectiveness.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to elicit perceptual trust requirements by anchoring them in established trust theories, expanding beyond traditional trustworthiness criteria.

Findings

Identifies perceptual trust factors influencing HCWs' participation

Proposes a trust framework based on interdisciplinary theories

Lays foundation for designing more trustworthy PSS

Abstract

This vision paper focuses on the mental health crisis impacting healthcare workers (HCWs), which exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, leads to increased stress and psychological issues like burnout. Peer Support Programs (PSP) are a recognized intervention for mitigating these issues. These programs are increasingly being delivered virtually through Peer Support Systems (PSS) for increased convenience and accessibility. However, HCWs perception of these systems results in fear of information sharing, perceived lack of safety, and low participation rate, which challenges these systems ability to achieve their goals. In line with the rich body of research on the requirements and properties of trustworthy systems, we posit that increasing HCWs trust in PSS could address these challenges. However, extant research focuses on objectively defined trustworthiness rather than perceptual trust because trustworthy requirements are viewed as more controllable and easier to operationalize. This study proposes a novel approach to elicit perceptual trust requirements by proposing a trust framework anchored in recognized trust theories from different disciplines that unpacks trust into its recognized types and their antecedents. This approach allows the identification of trust requirements beyond those already proposed for trustworthy systems, providing a strong foundation for improving the effectiveness of PSS for HCWs. Keywords: Trust Requirements, Requirements elicitation, Peer support systems, Healthcare workers