It is examined if the relationship empirically demonstrated between health and face-to-face social interactions is confirmed when it is virtual. The objective is to know if the perception of psychological well-being and receiving social support would explain the frequency of participation in virtual social networks (VSN). An ex-post-facto design was applied to a sample of 510 university Internet users (age, M = 22.89, SD = 5.67, 78.9% women). The level of psychological well-being (Spanish adaptation of the Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale), social support (Family Social Support and Friends questionnaire - AFA) and the frequency of use of VSN are evaluated. To determine the relationships between the variables, correlation and hierarchical regression analyzes were carried out. The relative contribution of the perception of psychological well-being and of obtaining social support in the frequency of VSN use is confirmed, controlling the influences of age and gender. Specifically, the perception of having less ability to dominate the social environment and to obtain social support for friendships through VSN explains and allows predicting the increase in the frequency of use of such networks.

She holds a Ph.D. in Leisure and Human Development from the University of Deusto (Spain). She has a Master Degree in Civil and Commercial Law from Xiamen University (China), and one in Safety and Occupational Health: Occupational Risk Prevention from the Spanish Chamber of Commerce and in Leisure Project Management: Tourism, Culture and Sports from the University of Deusto. She has a degree in local Cultural Management from the University of Deusto and International Law from the Xiamen Academy of International Law. Silvia has written international articles and has been working and training at the University of Deusto, CiCtourgune, DuPont and the University of Oviedo. Currently, she is a freelance consultant and researcher in several European projects (wom@rts and 4HCreat). Her areas of interest are city branding, cultural diplomacy, cultural policy, cultural management, events management and communication, tourism management, creative and cultural industries, and cooperation.