Psychometric Properties of Korean version of Nurse Emotional Labor Strategy Scale (K-NELSS)

Abstract

Purpose: Purposes of this study were to develop a Nurse Emotional Labor Strategy Scale in Korean (K-NELSS) and to evaluate its psychometric properties. Methods: The 14 items Emotional Labor Strategy Scale (ELSS) was translated into Korean and modified to apply to nurses. Two hundred and fifty nurses working in various units completed the questionnaire. Factor validity using confirmatory factor analysis, construct validity using correlation with burn-out, and criterion validity using correlation with Korean-Emotional Labor Scale (K-ELS) were identified. Reliability was tested by Cronbach’s ⍺. Results: K-NELSS has 3 domains: surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions. Confirmatory factor analysis showed moderate goodness of fit (RMSEA=.80, SRMR=.07, CFI=93, TFI=.92). Correlation between surface acting and burn-out was r=.37 (p＜.001), and between K-NELSS and K-ELS were r=.57 (p＜.001) in surface action and r=.62 (p＜.001) in deep acting. Cronbach’s ⍺s for surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions were .89, .88, .84, respectively. Conclusion: Psychometric properties of K-NELSS indicate that it is a useful and reliable tool to assess emotional labor of Korean nurses. In addition, with a small number of items, it is relatively easy to use.