Effects of Emotional Labor, Work-Life Balance, and Empowerment on the Professional Quality of Life of Korean Nurses.

Background: This descriptive survey study aimed to investigate the effects of emotional labor, work-life balance, and empowerment on nurses' professional quality of life (ProQOL) and provide foundational data for improving the ProQOL of Korean nurses.

Methods: Nurses who had been working for at least six months in hospitals in Yeosu, Suncheon, and Gwangyang, the Republic of Korea, were surveyed in April 2022. Using a structured questionnaire, data were collected on general characteristics, emotional labor, work-life balance, empowerment, and ProQOL. The collected data were analyzed using frequency analysis, independent -tests, analyses of variance, post-hoc tests, Pearson's correlation analysis, and multiple regression analysis.

Results: ProQOL was negatively correlated with emotional labor (r=-0.550, <0.001) and positively correlated with work-life balance (r=0.680, <0.001) and empowerment (r=0.454, <0.001). Emotional labor (β= -0.27, <0.001), work-life balance (β=0.44, <0.001), and empowerment (β=0.28, <0.001) were identified as the predictors of ProQOL, such that reduced emotional labor and increased work-life balance and empowerment enhanced ProQOL. These factors explained 62.1% of the variance in the ProQOL of Korean nurses (F=42.86, <0.001).

Conclusion: To enhance the ProQOL of Korean nurses, it is vital to help them adjust their work-life balance, decrease their emotional labor, and increase their empowerment.