The relationship between nurses’ demographic work-related variables and emotional labor behavior on nurse burnout during the COVID 19 pandemic

Background: Reducing levels of burnout is one of the most important issues in protecting the nursing workforce, especially in times of crisis such as pandemics. Emotional labor behavior would help reduce burnout among nurses. There is a need to explain the relationships between these variables. This study aimed to determine the effect of nurses’ demographic, work-related variables and emotional labor behaviors on nurse burnout levels during the COVID 19 pandemic. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted with 306 nurses. In this study, the first part of the data collection form included questions related to individual and occupational characteristics and COVID 19 conditions; the second part included the Emotional Labor Behavior Scale for Nurses; and the third part included the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Descriptive statistics and multiple regression analysis were used in the analysis of the data. Results: The results of this study showed that sincere and in-depth emotional labor behaviors, a high level of job satisfaction, a low level of perceived workload, being female, increased age, and working in a public hospital reduced nurse burnout levels. Conclusion: This study found that sincere emotional labor reduced depersonalization, while in-depth emotional labor contributed to lower burnout levels. High job satisfaction was associated with reduced emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Nurse managers should improve emotional labor behaviors to reduce burnout among nurses. In addition, especially in crisis situations such as pandemics, they should develop strategies to reduce workload and increase job satisfaction.