Stigma dan Dukungan: Dinamika Sosial Penyandang Epilepsi Korban Kekerasan Seksual dari Perspektif Keluarga dan Masyarakat

This study aimed to explore the social dynamics experienced by an individual with epilepsy who had been sexually assaulted, from the perspectives of family and community members. A qualitative case study design was used. Participants were selected through purposive sampling and consisted of three informants: one family member as the primary informant and two neighbors as supporting informants, while the victim was a 16-year-old female adolescent. The victim’s direct perspective was not gathered due to ethical considerations for victim protection and cognitive limitations. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using Boyatzis’s thematic analysis. The research findings identified eight key themes: the victims' social vulnerability, public perception of the victims' condition, social stigma, social acceptance within the community, social support, efforts to protect and empower the victims, social dynamics, and the limitations of formal support systems. Results showed that the victim received considerable informal support from family and community, which was not matched by adequate formal system support, particularly in access to inclusive education. This study concludes that the victim’s social dynamics were shaped by layered interactions between individual conditions and multiple levels of the surrounding social environment.