EMOTIONAL LABOUR AND PSYCHOLOGICAL WELLBEING MODERATING ROLE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AMONG NURSES

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Title Page                                                                                                              i

Dedication                                                                                                      iii

Acknowledgement                                                                                             iv

List of Tables                                                                                                         v

List of Graph                                                                                                       vi

Abstract                                                                                                      vii

CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION                                                                         1

Statement of the Problem                                                                         14

Purpose of Study                                                                                              14

Operational Definition of Terms                                                                  15

CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW                                                         17

Theoretical Review                                                                                         17

Empirical Review                                                                                                 27

Summary of Literature Review                                                            39

CHAPTER THREE: METHOD                                                                                42

Participants                                                                                                     42

Instruments                                                                                                    42

Procedure                                                                                                        44

Design and Statistics                                                                                   44

CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS                                                                                  45

CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION                                                                              48

Implications of the study                                                                                 52

Limitations of the study                                                                                 53

Suggestions for further study                                                                    54

Conclusion                                                                                            55

REFERENCES                                                                                                            56

APPENDIXES

Abstract

This study investigated the moderating role of social support on the relationship between  emotional labour strategies (emotion related role requirements, deep acting and surface acting) and psychological wellbeing. Three hundred and fifty nine nurses participated in the study.  They were drawn from four hospitals in Enugu State, namely; University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Ituku-Ozalla; Enugu State University Teaching Hospital, Enugu; Bishop Shanahan Hospital, Nsukka and General Hospital, Nsukka. Three instruments were used in this study, namely, Emotional Labour Scale, Social Provisions Scale and Psychological Wellbeing Scale. Pearson’s correlation and multiple regression were used to analyse the data. There was no significant relationship between emotional related role requirements and psychological wellbeing. Deep acting was not also significantly related to psychological wellbeing. Association of surface acting and psychological wellbeing was negatively significant. Social support was significantly and positively related to psychological wellbeing. Of the emotional labour strategies, only the association of deep acting and psychological wellbeing was moderated by social support. Awareness of emotional labour difficulties and improvements in social provisions could diminish the negative impacts of emotional labour on psychological wellbeing thereby facilitating efficient patient care among nurses.                

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

The concept of psychological well-being originated from one of the two basic components of well-being known as ‘eudaimonia’, the other being ‘hedonism’.  Hedonism as the first perspective of well-being (Kahneman, Diener & Schwarz, 1999), defines well-being as the presence of positive affect and the absence of negative affect. Whereas eudaimonia which is the second perspective contend that well-being does not entail maximizing positive experiences and minimizing negative ones (Ryan & Deci, 2001), but refers to living fully and thus allowing one to attain the richest human potential (Ryan, Huta & Deci, 2008).  In the field of contemporary psychology, a concept which stem from this hedonism is popularly known as subjective well-being which has two major components: affective balance and perceived life satisfaction.

In contrast to the concept of subjective well-being, other researchers emphasizes the concept of eudaimonia which establishes that well-being lies in the performance of action that is coherent with deep values that imply a full commitment with which people feel alive and real. One of the authors within the eudaimonia perspective notably Ryff (1989, 1995) introduced the concept of psychological well-being as an off shoot from the concept of eudaimonia. She argued that measurement for well-being have historically suffered from a lack of theoretical basis and have forgotten important issues of positive functioning. By proposing the term psychological well-being to distinguish the concept from that of subjective well-being, which is more typical of the hedonistic concept, Carol Ryff  has tried to overcome such limits and defines well-being as the development of a person’s real potential (Ryff, 1989, 1995). In this way, psychological well-being is not the main motivation of a person, but rather the result of a well-lived life (Ryff & Keyes, 1995; Ryff & Singer, 1998).

According to Ryff (1995), psychological well-being is a multidimensional construct consisting of six different dimensions of optimal well-being at a psychological level. Each of these dimensions posits different challenges that people discover in their efforts to function positively. The following are the six dimensions of psychological well-being. Self-acceptanceentails a positive evaluation of oneself and one’s past life.  It is the ability to have positive self-regard that comprises of one’s conscious knowledge of his or her limitations. Personal growth is a sense of continued growth and development as a person. Purpose in life is the belief that one’s life is purposeful and meaningful. Persons who have purpose in life have a sense of direction in life that unifies their efforts and challenges. Positive relations with others: It refers to the possession of quality relations with others. Environmental mastery is capacity of manage effectively one’s life and surrounding world. Autonomy means a sense of self-determination. People with autonomy have developed a strong sense individuality and personal freedom.

The dimensions of the psychological well-being imply that psychological well-being embraces the totality of a human person.  Thus, an individual who possess this aspect of wellness is psychologically and emotionally good enough. Such a person will be able to adjust to the challenges of living.  Each of these dimensions posits different challenges that people discover in their efforts to function positively. According to Fredrickson (2004), psychological well-being plays an important role in health and biology because it appears to serve as a buffer or protector in the face of adverse effects of negative experiences. This is to say that an individual who possesses psychological well-being will be capable of facing challenges of life through the use of effective coping strategies.

Psychological well-being consists of cognitive components, like satisfaction with one’s life (Ryan & Diener, 2003) or having purpose in life, and emotional components like happiness (proportion of positive and negative affects and moods (Veerhoven, 2000). Psychological well-being is an integrative concept that reflects not only objective life conditions but also subjective dispositions and values.  Thus, psychological well-being refers to how people evaluate their lives. According to Diener (1997), these evaluations may be in the form of cognitions or in the form of affects.  The cognitive part is an information-based appraisal of one’s life when a person gives conscious evaluative judgements about one’s satisfaction with life as a whole.  The affective part is a hedonic evaluation guided by emotions and feelings such as frequency with which people experience pleasant or unpleasant moods in reaction to their lives.