Mediating effects of workplace violence on the relationships between emotional labour and burnout among clinical nurses

Aims: To test a model of the relationship between nurses' burnout and emotional labour using structural equation modelling to identify the mediating effects of workplace violence. Background: Nurses are a group that experiences high emotional labour and are exposed to various types of violence in the clinical setting. Burnout is related to emotional labour and exposure of workplace violence, but alternatives to reduce burnout in the context of emotional labour (e.g., reduction in workplace violence) have not been extensively investigated. Design: This study adopted a cross-sectional design. Methods: A convenience sample comprising 400 nurses from four university hospitals in Korea was selected from 10 to 30 October 2016. Data on nurses' level of emotional labour, burnout and workplace violence were collected from participants. A composite-indicator structural equation model was used to examine the mediation model. Results: Overall, 356 nurses (89.0%) returned the completed questionnaires. Burnout was significantly and positively associated with emotional labour and workplace violence. In addition, workplace violence mediated the relationship between emotional labour and burnout related to the nursing job. Conclusion: The findings suggest that, to alleviate burnout in clinical nurses due to emotional labour, various programs and policy measures should be adopted to prevent their exposure to workplace violence and to enhance the organizational management of violence.