Network Analysis of Emotional Labor, Emotional Display Rules, Perceived Organizational Support, and Emotional Intelligence Among Nurses

Abstract

Background Nurses are required to manage their emotional expressions to meet professional standards and provide optimal support. Emotional labor has become an inevitable part of their daily professional lives. Understanding the relationships between emotional labor and its antecedents is crucial for guiding nurses to adopt beneficial emotional labor strategies, thereby enhancing their well‐being and the quality of care. Aim To examine the interdependence among emotional labor strategies, emotional display rules, emotional intelligence, and perceived organizational support among clinical nurses using network analysis, and to identify central and bridge components that may inform future nursing management research. Methods A secondary analysis was conducted using cross‐sectional data from 2996 nurses across eight cities in Shandong Province, China. Data on emotional labor, emotional display rules, emotional intelligence, and perceived organizational support were collected. We estimated an undirected network using a Gaussian graphical model (GGM) and employed Bayesian network analysis to infer potential directional associations, visualized as a directed acyclic graph (DAG). Results The undirected network identified “Use of emotion” and “Deep acting” as the nodes with the highest expected influence, indicating their strong connectivity with other components of the emotional labor network. “Positive display rules” exhibited the highest bridge expected influence, functioning as a link between the organizational norms and individual emotion regulation. Additionally, in the estimated DAG, “Self‐emotion appraisal” occupied a relatively upstream structural position, providing an exploratory indication of potential directional organization. Conclusions This study provides preliminary insights into the network structure linking emotional labor, emotional display rules, emotional intelligence, and perceived organizational support among clinical nurses in Shandong Province, China. “Use of emotion,” “Self‐emotion appraisal,” and “Positive display rules” emerged as structurally important components that warrant further examination in longitudinal and intervention studies. The findings may be most applicable to clinical nurses working in similar Chinese tertiary hospital contexts. Implications for Nursing Management In similar Chinese tertiary hospital contexts, nursing managers may consider fostering supportive work environments and developing flexible, noncoercive positive display norms that support adaptive emotional regulation and the appropriate expression of naturally felt emotions. Emotional utilization and self‐emotion appraisal may also represent relevant areas for future management programs; however, these implications are based on exploratory cross‐sectional evidence and require confirmation in longitudinal or intervention studies.