Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of emotional labor, somatic symptoms, and emotional support on quality of life among middle-aged women workers.
Methods
The study design was a descriptive survey research. Data were collected from October 2013 to January 2014 in Korea. A self-reported questionnaire was administerd in a convenience sample of 264 middle aged women in various working places. The survey included socio-demographic and job-related factors, and the questionnaires about emotional labor, somatic symptoms, emotional support, and quality of life. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise multiple regression.
Results
Stepwise multiple regression showed that somatic symptoms had the greatest effect on quality of life (β=-1.65, p<.001), followed by emotional support (β=0.67, p<.001), and job satisfaction (β=3.98, p<.001). And these variables accounted for 52% of quality of life among middle-aged women workers (F=97.14, p<.001).
Conclusion
These results suggest for clinical nurses to take somatic symptoms, emotional support, and job satisfaction into special account in order to improve the middle aged women worker's quality of life. Ultimately, a health promotion program focusing on these influential variables in workplace need to be developed for the given population.
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Table 1.
Table 2.
Table 3.
Emotional labor | Somatic symptoms | Emotional support | Quality of life | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Characteristics | M±SD | t/F/r (p) | M±SD | t/F/r (p) | M±SD | t/F/r (p) | M±SD | t/F/r (p) |
Age (year)† | ||||||||
40~45 | 72.89±16.56 | 2.83 | 7.09±5.03 | 0.31 | 48.85±8.36 | 0.94 | 77.13±15.82 | 0.36 |
46~50 | 72.06±18.81 | (.039) | 6.72±4.54 | (.817) | 48.86±8.53 | (.963) | 74.64±15.35 | (.781) |
51~55 | 79.65±20.20 | 6.40±4.66 | 48.55±9.11 | 75.33±16.13 | ||||
≥56 | 67.81±23.11 | 6.14±4.66 | 47.86±9.04 | 74.00±19.62 | ||||
Education | ||||||||
≤Middle school | 73.67±20.14 | 0.31 | 6.56±4.45 | 0.40 | 48.11±10.24 | 0.02 | 73.11±11.35 | 0.20 |
High school | 74.30±19.50 | (.732) | 6.92±4.36 | (.670) | 48.74±8.13 | (.987) | 74.90±15.24 | (.818) |
≥University | 72.38±19.00 | 6.39±5.01 | 48.71±9.16 | 75.88±17.15 | ||||
Religion | ||||||||
Yes | 72.61±19.68 | -1.05 | 7.10±4.92 | 2.11 | 49.21±8.38 | 1.37 | 75.06±16.02 | -0.28 |
No | 75.26±18.32 | (.297) | 5.81±3.87 | (.036) | 47.66±9.06 | (.173) | 75.65±15.84 | (.781) |
Marital status | ||||||||
Married | 74.06±19.55 | 1.45 | 6.54±4.61 | -1.46 | 48.70±8.68 | -0.06 | 75.96±15.75 | 2.08 |
Single (or divorce, bereavement) | 68.59±16.13 | (.149) | 7.86±4.83 | (.147) | 48.79±8.23 | (.955) | 69.48±16.52 | (.039) |
Personal monthly income | ||||||||
<100 | 76.61±20.66 | 0.65 | 6.28±4.51 | 1.18 | 50.17±8.43 | 1.53 | 79.06±14.66 | 2.42 |
100~<200 | 74.09±19.12 | (.524) | 7.06±4.60 | (.310) | 47.91±8.56 | (.219) | 73.42±16.29 | (.091) |
≥200 | 71.86±19.27 | 6.16±4.72 | 49.69±8.70 | 77.43±15.33 | ||||
Classification of occupation | ||||||||
Regular workers | 72.23±19.86 | -1.33 | 6.44±4.58 | -1.07 | 49.32±9.15 | 1.47 | 75.69±16.42 | 0.57 |
Contingent workers | 75.46±18.15 | (.186) | 7.07±4.74 | (.286) | 47.72±7.63 | (.144) | 74.54±15.18 | (.572) |
Type of job | ||||||||
Self-employed, C & I | 73.96±19.28 | 0.84 | 6.82±4.91 | 2.20 | 49.07±8.66 | 0.76 | 72.67±12.94 | 1.32 |
Office job | 74.83±16.27 | (.843) | 8.03±5.53 | (.055) | 47.21±10.52 | (.580) | 72.24±17.92 | (.258) |
Specialized job | 71.11±18.78 | 5.47±4.11 | 48.14±8.52 | 77.16±16.85 | ||||
Sales and service | 73.29±20.94 | 7.25±4.74 | 50.15±8.09 | 78.08±16.46 | ||||
Production worker | 77.33±17.34 | 8.27±4.03 | 49.20±7.69 | 71.33±18.02 | ||||
Etc. (including directorship) | 75.13±20.90 | 5.93±3.92 | 47.43±8.50 | 74.27±13.92 | ||||
Reasons for working† | ||||||||
For making moneya | 73.08±19.29 | 0.33 | 7.13±4.70 | 3.27 | 48.64±8.54 | 0.43 | 73.46±16.07 | 3.60 |
For self-realizationb | 72.86±21.85 | (.805) | 4.79±4.05 | (.022) | 48.41±8.43 | (.730) | 82.66±14.90 | (.014) |
For do a role as social memberc d | 73.44±20.17 | 7.07±4.42 | 47.93±7.67 | 75.56±14.34 | a<b | |||
Etc.d | 77.17±14.91 | 5.08±4.42 | 50.50±10.60 | 79.71±15.20 | ||||
Job satisfaction† | ||||||||
Not satisfieda | 70.20±13.71 | 1.54 | 9.80±5.70 | 5.82 | 41.80±9.68 | 3.62 | 58.73±19.29 | 10.63 |
So-sob | 75.96±18.42 | (.204) | 7.91±4.31 | (.001) | 49.56±7.44 | (.014) | 70.79±13.18 ( | (<.001) |
Satisfiedc | 73.43±19.80 | 5.89±4.29 | a, b>c | 49.01±8.57 | a<b, c | 78.22±15.12 | a<c, d | |
Very satisfiedd | 64.23±20.58 | 6.54±6.65 | 48.31±11.24 | 80.38±19.57 | ||||
Number of diagnosed disease | .08 | .31 | -.07 | -.27 | ||||
(.221) | (<.001) | (.240) | (<.001) |