Organizational support and professional identity among emergency medical workers: the mediating role of emotional labor

BACKGROUND: This study aimed to explore the relationships and internal mechanisms among professional identity, organizational support, and emotional labor in emergency medical workers. METHODS: Between March and April 2024, we surveyed a convenience sample of 643 emergency medical workers from 54 hospitals across 12 Chinese provinces using the Perceived Organizational Support Scale, Emotional Labor Strategy Scale, and Nursing Career Identity Scale. SPSS 22.0 and AMOS 21.0 software were used to statistically process the data. A structural equation model mediated by emotional labor was constructed. RESULTS: Significant gender differences were found in professional identity and emotional labor among emergency medical workers (t = 2.825, -2.115, P < 0.05). Professional identity also differed significantly by professional title (F = 2.749, P < 0.05). Organizational support, professional identity, and emotional labor showed statistically significant differences with years of work experience (F = 3.998, 4.023, 2.681, P < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between organizational support, professional identity, and emotional labor among emergency medical workers (r = 0.527, 0.326, and 0.346; P < 0.001). The associations among organizational support, emotional labor, and professional identity were examined in a sample of emergency medical workers. Specifically, deep acting (Estimate = 0.104, P = 0.012) and the expression of naturally felt emotions (Estimate = 0.102, P = 0.011) showed significant indirect associations in the relationship between organizational support and professional identity, while surface acting did not show a significant indirect association (Estimate = -0.001, P = 0.855). CONCLUSIONS: By examining the interrelationships between occupational identity, organizational support, and emotional labor, this study addresses a significant research gap concerning emergency medical workers. The findings offer valuable theoretical insights and practical implications for organizing and managing responses to public health events. The results highlight the importance of organizational support and emotional labor as factors associated with the emotional management skills of emergency medical workers, which may, in turn, be positively associated with their professional identities.