Emotional Labor and Professional Quality of Life in Korean Psychiatric Nurses

Abstract

The study was conducted to examine the emotional labor and professional quality of life of psychiatric nurses. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. One hundred fifty-six participants were selected from psychiatric ward in 7 hospitals located in G city, Y city and J area. A structured questionnaire was used as a study instrument which included general characteristics, Emotional Labor Scale and Professional Quality of Life Scale version 5 (Korean). Data were collected from March to June 2014. Descriptive statistics, independent t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression were used for analysis. There were significant correlation between emotional labor and professional quality of life (compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress). The factors influencing compassion satisfaction were education, fixed duty, and emotional labor. The factors influencing burnout were clinical career of psychiatric nursing and education. The factors influencing secondary traumatic stress was emotional labor. Emotional labor was an important predictor of compassion satisfaction and secondary traumatic stress. Therefore, there is a need to provide intervention to help nurses decrease their emotional labor and increase their professional quality of life.