Examining the relationship between nurses' psychological empowerment levels and emotional labor behaviors

ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between nurses' Psychological Empowerment Levels and Emotional Labor behaviors. Method: This research was conducted with a descriptive approach to examine the relationship between nurses' psychological empowerment levels and emotional labor behaviors. The study took place between September 2021 and November 2022 at the University Hospital in Antalya, Turkey. The population of the study consisted of nurses working at Antalya Mediterranean University Hospital. Data for the research were collected using a "Personal Information Form" comprising 8 questions about nurses' socio-demographic and professional characteristics, the "Emotional Labor Behavior Scale" consisting of 24 items in Likert scale, and the "Psychological Empowerment Scale" consisting of 12 items in Likert scale. The data obtained in the research were analyzed using the free trial version of SPSS Statistics for Windows 25.0. Findings: When the sub-dimension mean scores of the scales used in the research were examined, the average score for the Emotional Labor Behavior Scale was 3.79, and for the Psychological Empowerment Scale, it was determined as 4.95. A statistically significant and positively correlated relationship was found between nurses' emotional labor behavior and the dimension of significance (r=0.452, p<0.01), between nurses' emotional labor behavior and the dimension of impact (r=0.373, p<0.01), between nurses' emotional labor behavior and the dimension of competence (r=0.390, p<0.01), and between nurses' emotional labor behavior and psychological empowerment (r=0.437, p<0.01). Conclusion: Statistical analysis revealed a statistically significant and positively correlated relationship between nurses' emotional labor behavior and psychological empowerment in all sub-dimensions of the scales.