Relationship between perceived organizational support and professional values of nurses: mediating effect of emotional labor

OBJECTIVES: Perceived organizational support was a benefit for the work performance of nurses, which may affect emotional labor and the development of professional values. This study aimed to explore the relationship between nurses’ perceived organizational support and professional values, and investigate the mediating role of emotional labor. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. The study was conducted in 3 tertiary hospitals in Wuhan from October 2020 to January 2021. The data were collected by a questionnaire consisting of demographic characteristics, the Emotional Labor Scale for Nurses, the nurses’ Perceived Organizational Support Scale, and the Nursing Professional Values Scale (NPVS-R). A convenience sample of 1017 nurses responded to the questionnaire survey. Pearson’s correlation analysis was used to test the relationship between variables. Predictor effects were tested using hierarchical multiple regressions. The structural equation model (SEM) was used to test the mediation effect of emotional labor on the pathway from perceived organizational support to professional values. RESULTS: A positive moderate correlation was observed between the perceived organizational support and emotional labor (r = 0.524, P < 0.01), and a positive strong correlation was observed between perceived organizational support and professional values (r = 0.609, P < 0.01). Emotional labor and perceived organizational support were positive predictors of professional values (B = 0.531, 95%CI = 0.414 ~ 0.649; B = 0.808, 95%CI = 0.715 ~ 0.901, respectively). The association between perceived organizational support and professional values was mediated by emotional labor. CONCLUSIONS: Results showed that perceived organizational support was positively related to nurses’ emotional labor, which was in turn associated with high professional values. For nurses, improving organizational support and training nurses to engage in emotional labor through providing multiple support systems, establishing appropriate incentive mechanisms, and training nurses to regulate emotions can be effective ways to promote nurses’ professional values. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12912-022-00927-w.