The moderating role of age and seniority on nurses' emotional dissonance and perceived health

This study aims to investigate the weight of surface acting (a condition in which subjects must display an emotional state that does not correspond to their real feelings) in the relationship between the emotional load of nursing work and the perception of health, and to evaluate the moderating effect of age and length of service. A moderated mediation analysis was conducted on a sample of 359 Italian nurses. The results confirmed the mediation role of surface acting and showed that both age and seniority have moderating effects so that in conditions of high emotional load, older and more experienced nurses show higher levels of surface acting, and in conditions of high surface acting, younger and less experienced nurses show lower levels of perceived health. In conclusion, surface acting seems a stressor for younger nurses, not yet used to the weight of faking emotions, while the perceived emotional load seems a stressor for older and more experienced nurses. Each result highlights the importance of providing emotional regulation skills training and support to reduce the psychological impact of emotional demands on nurses.

Automated summary

This study investigates the role of surface acting in the relationship between emotional load and health perception in nursing work, and examines the moderating effects of age and length of service. The results confirm that surface acting has a significant mediation effect, and both age and seniority moderate this relationship. Older and more experienced nurses display higher levels of surface acting under high emotional load, while younger and less experienced nurses have lower levels of perceived health under high surface acting. Providing emotional regulation skills training and support is crucial to reduce the psychological impact of emotional demands on nurses.