Impact of Emotional Labor and Positive Psychological Capital on the Turnover Intention of Nurses Caring for Patients with COVID-19: A Descriptive Survey Study

Nurses' turnover intention has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic. Emotional labor is reportedly high among nurses in Korea, and a positive psychological capital can help reduce turnover intention. This cross-sectional study investigated the factors influencing turnover intention in nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Survey data were collected from 155 nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 at a university hospital in South Korea in March 2022. Self-reported and paper-based questionnaires on emotional labor, positive psychological capital, and turnover intention were employed. The mean values for emotional labor, positive psychological capital, and turnover intention were 54.52/80, 58.03/90, and 38.92/50, respectively, and 77.8% of nurses reported planning to quit working. Turnover intention correlated with emotional labor (r = 0.17; p=0.041) and had no significant relationship with positive psychological capital. Sex (β = 0.24; p=0.003) and emotional labor (β = 0.18; p=0.019) affected turnover intention, with 9% explanatory power. Female nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 had a higher turnover intention than male nurses. Finally, the higher the emotional labor of nurses caring for patients with COVID-19, the higher the turnover intention. To reduce the turnover intention of nurses, hospitals need to help them enhance their emotional labor and positive psychological capital by establishing measures such as emotional coaching programs or psychological capital interventions.