Abstract
Summary: Recent studies on the psychological effects of emotional labor among hospital nurses have focused not only on aversive effects such as progression of burnout or depression but also on favorable effects, such as enhanced job satisfaction. However, few studies investigated these effects among Japanese hospital nurses. This study measured elements of emotional labor in detail and investigated the association of each element of emotional labor with work engagement and stress responses among 306 Japanese female hospital ward nurses in the Kanto region. In August–September 2011, they were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire, measuring on emotional labor, work engagement, psychological and physical stress responses, and demographics. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine the association of each element of emotional labor (“Exploring and understanding”, “Expression of caring”, “Deep adjustment”, “Suppressed expression”, and “Surface adjustment”) with work engagement, and psychological and physical stress responses. The results showed that “Exploring and understanding” was positively associated with work engagement, whereas “Suppressed expression” was negatively associated with work engagement. “Deep adjustment” was positively associated with psychological and physical stress responses. These findings suggest that enhancing “Exploring and understanding” and reducing “Suppressed expression” and “Deep adjustment” have an effect on improving mental health among nurses.
