Exploring Post-Kanjuruhan Tragedy Trauma Experiences : A Description of Emotional Trauma

Abstract

The emotional trauma experienced by the survivors and families of the victims of the Kanjuruhan tragedy in Malang city. The tragedy occurred during a football match between Arema and Persebaya on October 1, 2022, resulting in 135 deaths, mostly teenagers. The tragedy was caused by a riot that started after Arema lost the game, and security forces used tear gas towards the audience. The panic and stampede caused by the tear gas, coupled with closed exit doors, resulted in many fatalities. The emotional trauma experienced by the survivors and families of the victims can cause long-term psychological impacts, such as stress, sadness, depression, and anxiety, and even post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance abuse, and severe depression. The research aims to investigate the emotional trauma experienced by the survivors and families of the victims of the Kanjuruhan tragedy. The research is a qualitative study using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) approach. IPA is used to investigate how individuals actively interpret their experiences and give meaning to events or objects in their lives. Four participants who were victims of the Kanjuruhan tragedy and survived were involved in this study. The random sampling method was used due to the sensitivity of the research and the difficulty in identifying Kanjuruhan victims who were willing to be interviewed. The data analysis technique used was Descriptive Phenomenological Analysis (DPA).