Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş

Mehtap Genç; Emre Çiydem

doi:10.38053/acmj.1975135

Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş

Abstract

Aims: To examine YouTube news comments related to juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş through thematic and sentiment analyses. Methods: This qualitative study analyzed 2.930 publicly accessible user comments posted under YouTube news videos concerning two school attacks in Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. The data were examined through thematic analysis and manual sentiment analysis. Results: Eight themes were identified: attribution of crime to the family, media and digital games as a source of violence; distrust toward the state and demand for school safety; fear of crime; concern about imitation and loss of safe space; punitive attitudes and dehumanization; mental illness and psychosocial explanations; religious and conspiratorial framing; and emotional reactions toward the victim and solidarity. Sentiment analysis revealed that neutral and anger-related comments predominated in both cases. In the comments concerning the Şanlıurfa incident, neutral (52.9%) and anger (33.3%) emotions were most prominent, whereas neutral (45.6%) and anger (40.1%) emotions were more frequent in the comments concerning the Kahramanmaraş incident. Family blaming, demands for harsher punishment, dehumanization of offenders, distrust toward institutions, fear of crime, and concerns about school safety were common. Conclusion: Online public reactions to juveniles involved in crime were largely characterized by anger, fear, blame attribution, and punitive attitudes. However, these reactions coexisted with strong expressions of empathy and solidarity toward victims. Interventions aimed at improving mental health literacy, reducing stigma, strengthening school-based mental health services, and enhancing media literacy may contribute to more balanced public perceptions of juvenile delinquency and mental disorders.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

None

Project Number

None.

Ethical Statement

This study was based exclusively on the analysis of publicly accessible user comments posted on the YouTube platform. No human participants were recruited, no intervention was performed, and no direct contact or interaction was established with the individuals who posted the comments. Therefore, ethics committee approval was not required for this study. All data analyzed were publicly available at the time of collection. To protect privacy and confidentiality, usernames and any potentially identifying information were removed or anonymized during data processing and reporting. The data were used solely for scientific research purposes, and no information that could reveal the identity of individual users was included in the manuscript. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of internet-mediated research and the Declaration of Helsinki.

Thanks

None.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Mental Health Nursing

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Mehtap Genç ^*
0000-0002-6420-9327
Türkiye

Emre Çiydem
0000-0002-2886-6848
Türkiye

Publication Date

September 11, 2026

Submission Date

June 20, 2026

Acceptance Date

July 20, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 8 Number: 5

DOI

https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1975135

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA64YF76FP

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Genç, M., & Çiydem, E. (2026). Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, 8(5), 903-916. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1975135

AMA

1.Genç M, Çiydem E. Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2026;8(5):903-916. doi:10.38053/acmj.1975135

Chicago

Genç, Mehtap, and Emre Çiydem. 2026. “Qualitative and Sentiment Analysis of YouTube News Comments on Juveniles Involved in Crime Following School Attacks in Turkiye: The Cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 8 (5): 903-16. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1975135.

EndNote

Genç M, Çiydem E (September 1, 2026) Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 8 5 903–916.

IEEE

[1]M. Genç and E. Çiydem, “Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş”, Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj, vol. 8, no. 5, pp. 903–916, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.38053/acmj.1975135.

ISNAD

Genç, Mehtap - Çiydem, Emre. “Qualitative and Sentiment Analysis of YouTube News Comments on Juveniles Involved in Crime Following School Attacks in Turkiye: The Cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal 8/5 (September 1, 2026): 903-916. https://doi.org/10.38053/acmj.1975135.

JAMA

1.Genç M, Çiydem E. Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2026;8:903–916.

MLA

Genç, Mehtap, and Emre Çiydem. “Qualitative and Sentiment Analysis of YouTube News Comments on Juveniles Involved in Crime Following School Attacks in Turkiye: The Cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş”. Anatolian Current Medical Journal, vol. 8, no. 5, Sept. 2026, pp. 903-16, doi:10.38053/acmj.1975135.

Vancouver

1.Mehtap Genç, Emre Çiydem. Qualitative and sentiment analysis of YouTube news comments on juveniles involved in crime following school attacks in Turkiye: the cases of Şanlıurfa and Kahramanmaraş. Anatolian Curr Med J / ACMJ / acmj. 2026 Sep. 1;8(5):903-16. doi:10.38053/acmj.1975135