Evi Dina Anggita. 2026. THESIS. Exploration of ACEs Experiences and Maladaptive Coping Strategies towards K-Pop Roleplay on Telegram Phenomenological Perspective. Advisor 1: Dr. Sri Susanti, M. A. Advisor 2: Yusuf Hamdani Abdi, M. Psi.
Keywords: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), Maladaptive Coping Strategy, K-Pop Roleplay, Telegram.
K-Pop roleplay on Telegram has grown rapidly in Indonesia and can function as a compensatory psychological space for users with histories of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). This study explores how ACEs shape maladaptive coping strategies and how Telegram community dynamics influence them. The study employed qualitative Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) with three participants aged 22–23 years who had been actively engaged in roleplay for at least 1 year. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and digital documentation, analyzed through IPA procedures and cross-case analysis.
Findings indicate layered adversity (abuse, neglect, household dysfunction) shaped core psychological needs: control/agency, validation without stigma, and low-risk belongingness. The configuration of high primary appraisal and low secondary appraisal promoted dominance of emotion-focused and avoidant coping—including freeze/dissociation, rigid control of self-exposure, and hyper-independence. Telegram provides compatible affordances (anonymity, identity flexibility, closeness without physical presence, instant validation) that transform survival strategies into digital compensation.
Outcomes are ambivalent: short-term emotional regulation versus maladaptive maintenance loops characterized by invisibility, identity fragmentation, and relational distortions. This study underscores the importance of understanding roleplay as a digital coping practice linked to adversity history, and the necessity for community approaches and mental health services that are trauma-informed, digitally-sensitive, and culturally-appropriate.