A qualitative study of the emotional labour among neonatal nurses based on the affective events theory.

Objectives: To explore the work events, strategies, context and individual characteristics of the emotional labour among neonatal nurses based on the reaction mechanism of individual affections, so as to provide a reference for improving the emotional labour strategies.

Methods: A phenomenological qualitative design was utilized. Fourteen neonatal nurses from a tertiary Grade A children's hospital were selected for semi-structured interviews, and the data were analysed, summarized and refined by Colaizzi's seven-step analysis method.

Results: Four themes and eight sub-themes were refined to explain the experience of the emotional labour among neonatal nurses: (a) sources of the emotional labour in a relatively confined environment; (b) the strategies and consequences of the emotional labour under different emotional reactions; (c) contextual factors of the emotional labour strategies; (d) personality traits.

Conclusion: Given the reaction mechanism of individual affections, both internal and external factors contribute to the emotional labour among neonatal nurses. Since little work has been performed on improving their emotional labour, organizational efforts to provide interventions by hospitals and nursing managers are essential to improve the emotional labour strategies, and thus enhance their mental health and the quality of neonatal nursing.