SocioEmpathy: A Social-Sensitivity Application to Reduce Stress and Depression of Divorce or Domestic Violence Victims

Abstract

Divorce rate in Indonesia is the highest in the Asia Pacific. Meanwhile, the effects of divorce and domestic violence are so bad for children, especially for teenagers. The children of the divorce will show more anxiety, depression, and antisocial behavior than the child of a normal family. On the other side, the most important thing for people who are depressed is the presence of people who are willing to listen to them patiently and to not to underestimate the problem. However, depressed people don't always find people who are willing to do so when they are depressed. Thus, an application to facilitate them to share their stories and problems is needed, it is called SocioEmpathy. Methodology to develop SocioEmpathy is literature study based on scientific journals and books on ICT, and unstructured interviews towards divorce victim and professional psychologist. The result is a SocioEmpathy application that has features: 1) Timeline, 2) Personal Chat, 3) Panic Button, 4) Mood Tracker, and 5) Psychologist Consultation. The conclusion of this research is SocioEmpathy is expected to become a solution for divorce victims to ease their depression. On the other hand, the SocioEmpathy app also increase experience for psychology students and psychologists involved in this application.