As Social Network Sites (SNSs) are increasingly becoming part of people's everyday lives, the implications of their use need to be investigated and understood. We conducted a systematic literature review to lay the groundwork for understanding the relationship between SNS use and users' psychological well-being and for devising strategies for taking advantage of this relationship. The review included articles published between 2003 and 2016, extracted from major academic databases. Findings revealed that the use of SNSs is both positively and negatively related to users' psychological well-being. We discuss the factors that moderate this relationship and their implications on users' psychological well-being. Many of the studies we reviewed lacked a sound theoretical justification for their findings and most involved young and healthy students, leaving other cohorts of SNS users neglected. The paper concludes with the presentation of a platform for future investigation.

Social network sites (SNSs) are growing in popularity and social significance. Although researchers have attempted to explain the effect of SNS use on users' psychological well‐being, previous studies have produced inconsistent results. In addition, most previous studies relied on healthy students as participants; other cohorts of SNSs users, in particular people living with serious health conditions, have been neglected. In this study, we carried out semistructured interviews with users of the Ovarian Cancer Australia (OCA) Facebook to assess how and in what ways SNS use impacts their psychological well‐being. A theoretical model was proposed to develop a better understanding of the relationships between SNS use and the psychological well‐being of cancer patients. Analysis of data collected through a subsequent quantitative survey confirmed the theoretical model and empirically revealed the extent to which SNS use impacts the psychological well‐being of cancer patients. Findings showed the use of OCA Facebook enhances social support, enriches the experience of social connectedness, develops social presence and learning and ultimately improves the psychological well‐being of cancer patients.

This research assessed the relationship between the use of SNSs, specifically OCA Facebook, and the psychological well-being of cancer-affected people. The study confirmed that using OCA Facebook can improve psychological well-being by demonstrating the potential value of SNSs as a support service in the healthcare industry.

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