Facebook-Based Social Support and Health: A Systematic Review

The rise of social networking sites have provided a new avenue for interpersonal communication. Facebook, as the largest social networking site targeted at providing access to interpersonal social networks, has been found to be a source of social support. Facebook-based social support has been found to be beneficial across a number of health outcomes; however, no systematic evaluation of these effects, and the factors that influence them, has been conducted. A systematic review has been conducted to examine the effects of Facebook-based social support on health. A total of 27 studies met selection criteria and were included in the final review. Facebook-based social support was found to impact health across three major domains: general health, mental illness, and well-being. Facebook-based social support was found to improve general physical and mental health, as well as well-being. It was also found reduce to symptomology associated with mental illness, including depression, anxiety, online victimization, and loneliness. There were a number of behavioral factors that influenced these outcomes, including social comparison, communication competence, and self-disclosure. Although the effects of Facebookbased social support was found to be generally positive, future research is required to explore how best to maximize this new form of social support. Public Policy Relevance Statement This article is a review of the literature on the use of Facebook to access social support and how that can affect health outcomes. Overall, using Facebook as a mechanism for social support was found to improve health outcomes across domains including improving mental health, physical health, and well-being and reducing mental illness symptomology, such as depression. The use of Facebook to positively interact and gain support from friends and family can be beneficial to a person's overall well-being.