The Experience of Emotional Labor and Its Related Factors among Nurses in General Hospital Settings in Republic of Korea: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Da-Jung Ha, Jung-Hyun Park, Su-Eun Jung, Boram Lee, Myo-Sung Kim, Kyo-Lin Sim, Yung-Hyun Choi and Chan-Young Kwon
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Da-Jung Ha: Department of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Dongeui University, 52-57 Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan 47227, Korea
Jung-Hyun Park: Department of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Dongeui University, 52-57 Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan 47227, Korea
Su-Eun Jung: Department of Clinical Korean Medicine, Graduate School, Dongeui University, 52-57 Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan 47227, Korea
Boram Lee: KM Science Research Division, Korea Institute of Oriental Medicine, 1672 Yuseong-daero, Yuseong-gu, Daejeon 34054, Korea
Myo-Sung Kim: Department of Nursing, College of Nursing, Dongeui University, Healthcare Sciences & Human Ecology, 176 Eomgwang-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan 47340, Korea
Kyo-Lin Sim: Department of Music, Pyeongtaek University Graduate School, 3825 Seodong-daero, Pyeongtaek-si 17869, Korea
Yung-Hyun Choi: Department of Biochemistry, College of Korean Medicine, Dongeui University, 52-57 Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan 47227, Korea
Chan-Young Kwon: Department of Oriental Neuropsychiatry, College of Korean Medicine, Dongeui University, 52-57 Yangjeong-ro, Busanjin-gu, Busan 47227, Korea

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 21, 1-21

Abstract: This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to investigate the status of emotional labor and its related factors among nurses in general hospital settings in Korea. A total of seven electronic databases were comprehensively searched to find relevant cross-sectional studies published up to 28 January 2021. The meta-analysis was performed using Stata version 13.1. In total, 131 studies were included. The population showed a standardized mean difference of 3.38 (95% confidence interval, 3.34 to 3.42) in emotional labor assessed by a 1–5 Likert scale. The level of emotional labor had significant negative correlations with job satisfaction, social support, organizational engagement, coworker support, resilience, and nurses’ work environment, while it had significant positive correlations with emotional labor and burnout, turnover intention, and job stress. Although the methodological quality of the included studies was generally good, 24 of the included studies (18.32%) were evaluated as lacking generalization potential or otherwise as unclear. In conclusion, nurses in general hospital settings in Korea experience mild-to-moderate levels of emotional labor. There is some evidence that the emotional labor of nurses and its detrimental effects can be buffered at both the individual and hospital levels, and future research should focus on developing targeted interventions and evaluating their effectiveness.

Keywords: nurse; Korean nurse; emotional labor; mental health; systematic review (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (3)

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