The Relationship Between Emotional Labor Behaviors and Burnout Levels of Nurses

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: The study was carried out in descriptive and relational research design to determine the relation between emotional labor behaviors and burnout levels of nurses. METHODS: Study population consisted of nurses employed in four hospitals in a province located in East Turkey, and the study sample was composed of nurses who agreed to participate in the study. A questionnaire form including questions about socio-demographic properties of nurses, 'Emotional Labor Scale' and 'Maslach Burnout Scale' was used for data collection. Ethical Committee approval and written official permission were granted for the study. Usable data were obtained from 264 out of 420 nurses. Data were collected between June and September 2011. The response rate to data collection tool was 62.8%. Data were analyzed with statistic packet software. RESULTS: Nurses included in the study were determined to have low emotional labor behavior and burnout levels in general. In addition, positive and significant relations were observed between superficial behavior and emotional burnout and desensitization; emotional labor and deep behaviors and desensitization; and feeling of personal achievement and suppressing real feelings. CONCLUSION: As a result of the study, it was concluded that emotional labor behaviors are related to their burnout levels.

Keywords

• nursing
• emotional labor
• burnout