Nurses’ Emotional Labor and Intrinsic Motivation: Findings from a Cross-sectional Study

Abstract Aim: This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the level of nurses’ emotional labor and intrinsic motivation (IM) and to assess its relationship with patients’ perceptions of nursing care. Methodology: Data were provided by 71 staff nurses and corresponding 71 patients from a tertiary care hospital. The Emotional Labor (EL) Scale by Brotheridge and Lee, a self-structured IM Scale, and the Perception of Nursing Care Scale were used to collect the data between January and March 2021. The study is registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI/2019/08/020592). Results: The study reveals that nurses frequently use EL in their work, use deep-acting more than surface-acting EL, and have a high level of IM. The patients were found to have a good perception of nursing care, with “good communication” as the highest-rated factor. No significant correlation was found between nurses’ EL and IM with patients’ perceptions of nursing care. Conclusion: As nurses frequently use emotional labor at work, it may lead to emotional dissonance. Therefore, interventions on emotional regulation skills may allow them to skillfully use emotional labor in practice and enable them to cope with the increased emotional demands at work.