Emotional Labor and Depressive Symptoms in Bank Clerks: The Moderating Role of Emotional Clarity

Abstract

Emotional labor is a serious risk factor for psychological problems such as increased burnout and decreased psychological well-being. This research examined the effects of emotional labor on depressive symptoms and the role of emotional clarity as a moderating factor in this relationship. A total of 127 bank tellers from 9 branches in Seoul, Korea completed the following questionnaires: The Korean version of the Emotional Labor Scale (K-ELS), Trait Meta Mood Scale (TMMS), and Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). The results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that emotional labor had a significant positive correlation with depressive symptoms, and emotional clarity moderated this relationship even after controlling for gender difference and work position. When emotional clarity was low, a higher degree of emotional labor was associated with greater depressive symptoms. On the other hand, when emotional clarity was high, the effect of emotional labor on depressive symptoms was not significant. Such results suggest that the ability to clearly recognize emotion can potentially buffer the negative effects of emotional labor. Thus, enhancing emotional clarity may be a part of an effective intervention program for depressed emotional laborers.