Effects of Emotional Labor, Work–Life Balance, and Empowerment on the Professional Quality of Life of Korean Nurses

Abstract

Background: This descriptive survey study aimed to investigate the effects of emotional labor, work–life balance, and empowerment on nurses’ professional quality of life (ProQOL) and provide foundational data for improving the ProQOL of Korean nurses.

Methods: Nurses who had been working for at least six months in hospitals in Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang, the Republic of Korea, were surveyed in April 2022. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected on general characteristics, emotional labor, work–life balance, empowerment, and ProQOL. The collected data were analyzed using frequency analysis, independent t-tests, analyses of variance, post-hoc tests, Pearson’s correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis.

Results: ProQOL was negatively correlated with emotional labor (r=-0.550, P<0.001) and positively correlated with work–life balance (r=0.680, P<0.001) and empowerment (r=0.454, P<0.001). Emotional labor (β=-0.27, P<0.001), work–life balance (β=0.44, P<0.001), and empowerment (β=0.28, P<0.001) were identified as the predictors of ProQOL, such that reduced emotional labor and increased work–life balance and empowerment enhanced ProQOL. These factors explained 62.1% of the variance in the ProQOL of Korean nurses (F=42.86, P<0.001).

Conclusion: To enhance the ProQOL of Korean nurses, it is vital to help them adjust their work–life balance, decrease their emotional labor, and increase their empowerment.