Latent class analysis of death coping ability among palliative care nurses and its association with their emotional labor.

Abstract

Objective: Death coping ability is a critical professional skill for palliative care nurses. This study aimed to identify subgroups of death coping ability among Chinese palliative care nurses based on their assessments using the Death Coping Ability Scale, and to analyze the relationship between these subgroups and their emotional labor.

Method: Convenient sampling was employed to survey 868 palliative care nurses from medical institutions in Beijing, Jiangsu Province, Anhui Province, and Hunan Province. Data was collected using a general information questionnaire, the Chinese version of the Death Coping Ability Scale, and the Emotional Labor Scale. Latent profile analysis was conducted to categorize the nurses' death coping abilities, and differences in emotional labor among these categories were compared.

Results: The death coping ability of palliative care nurses was categorized into three groups: "low death coping ability group" (11.5%), "medium death coping ability group" (52.0%), and "high death coping ability group" (36.5%). Factors influencing these categories included specialization in palliative care, opportunities for interaction with the bereaved, participation in grief counseling training, and personal bereavement experiences, all statistically significant (p < 0.05). Notably, there were significant differences in emotional labor scores among the three groups (F = 33.006, p < 0.001).

Conclusions: The death coping ability of palliative care nurses can be classified into three distinct categories, each associated with different levels of emotional labor. Nursing managers should recognize these differences and implement targeted, personalized interventions to enhance the death coping abilities of palliative care nurses.