title: Inverse roles of emotional labour on health and job satisfaction among long-term care workers in Japan.
abstract: Emotional labour increases among long-term care workers because providing care and services to impaired elders causes conflicting interpersonal emotions. Thus, we investigated the associations between emotional labour, general health and job satisfaction among long-term care workers. We conducted a cross-sectional study among 132 established, private day care centres in Tokyo using a mail survey. The outcome variables included two health-related variables and four job satisfaction variables: physical and psychological health, satisfaction with wages, interpersonal relationships, work environment and job satisfaction. We performed multiple regression analyses to identify significant factors. Directors from 36 facilities agreed to participate. A total of 123 responses from long-term care workers were analysed. Greater emotional dissonance was associated with better physical and psychological health and worse work environment satisfaction (partial regression coefficient: -2.93, p = .0389; -3.32, p = .0299; -1.92, p = .0314, respectively). Fewer negative emotions were associated with more job satisfaction (partial regression coefficient: -1.87, p = .0163). We found that emotional labour was significantly inversely associated with health and job satisfaction. Our findings indicated that the emotional labour of long-term care workers has a negative and positive influence on health and workplace satisfaction, and suggests that care quality and stable employment among long-term care workers might affect their emotional labour. Therefore, we think a programme to support emotional labour among long-term care workers in an organized manner and a self-care programme to educate workers regarding emotional labour would be beneficial.
authors.affiliation: a Graduate School of Human Sciences, Waseda University , Tokorozawa , Japan.
authors.forename: Erika
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tsukamoto
authors.forename: Takeru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Abe
authors.forename: Michikazu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ono
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007564:Japan; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008134:Long-Term Care; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D012648:Self Care; D014937:Work; D000078329:Workforce
keywords: emotional labour; health; job satisfaction; long-term care workers; quality of care