The Relationship of Nurses’ Emotional Labor with Organizational and Professional Commitment

Objective: This study aimed to determine nurses’ emotional labor behaviors and examine the relationship between emotional labor and both organizational and professional commitment.Methods: This descriptive and cross-sectional study was conducted with 440 nurses working in private, public, and university hospitals between October 2021 and March 2022. Data were collected using the Personal Information Form, Organizational Commitment Survey, Professional Commitment Scale, and Nurses’ Emotional Labor Behavior Scale. Ethical committee approval was obtained prior to data collection, and written informed consent was secured from all participants. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and regression models to examine predictive relationships among variables.Results: The majority of participants were aged 26–35 years (57.5%), female (73.9%), and held a bachelor’s degree (59.3%). Most worked in public hospitals (57.5%), particularly in emergency departments and operating rooms (48.6%). The mean total score of the Emotional Labor Behavior Scale was above average (3.97±0.51), indicating a relatively high level of emotional labor. No statistically significant relationship was found between emotional labor and organizational commitment (p>0.05). However, a significant and positive relationship was identified between emotional labor and professional commitment (p<0.05). Regression analyses revealed that overall emotional labor and the sincere behavior sub-dimension significantly predicted professional commitment.Conclusion: Nurses demonstrated above-average emotional labor levels, which were positively associated with professional commitment but not organizational commitment. Healthcare managers should monitor emotional labor processes and examine organizational factors influencing emotional labor to strengthen nurses’ professional commitment.