Job Satisfaction as a Predictor of Emotional Labor Among Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Emotional labor, which plays a significant role in nursing, can be influenced by job satisfaction. High levels of nurses' job satisfaction can lead to appropriate emotional engagement and demonstration, positively impacting patient care and satisfaction. Despite its significance, most studies have examined nurses' job satisfaction as an outcome of emotional labor rather than as a predictor. Aim: To assess the influence of nurses' job satisfaction on their emotional labor. Method: The study used a cross-sectional, correlational, descriptive design. A convenience sample of 125 bedside nurses was recruited from a public hospital in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The data were collected using the Emotional Labor Scale for Nurses and the Michigan Organizational Assessment Questionnaire Job Satisfaction scale from June to August 2024. Result: The emotional labor of nurses was high (M = 58.04, SD ± 9.44); emotional control effort in the profession was the most frequent strategy used (M = 28.65, SD ± 5.09), followed by patient-focused emotional suppression (M = 16.15, SD ± 3.82), and the least common was emotional pretense by norms (M = 13.23, SD ± 2.89). Nurses' job satisfaction was positively correlated with their emotional labor (r = 0.220, p=0.017) and emotional control effort in the profession (r = 0.258, p=0.004), and it influenced their EL (β = 0.22, p=0.014). Conclusion: Our findings reveal that nurses experience high levels of emotional labor when interacting with patients. Job satisfaction can influence how nurses experience and manage emotional labor in the workplace. Implications: The study recommends that policymakers enhance job satisfaction among nurses to support the more effective and appropriate use of emotional labor strategies, thereby mitigating negative impacts on both the nurses and the organization.