Emotional experiences and coping strategies of nursing and midwifery practitioners in Ghana: a qualitative study

• DOI: 10.1186/s12912-020-00484-0
• Publication Date: 2020-10-06T21:03:04Z
• Authors: Joshua King Safo ...; Joseph Osafo; Johnny Andoh-Arthur; Kwaku Oppong Asante
• Keywords: Emotional labor; Sociology and Political Science; Health Effects of Precarious Employment and Unemployment; Economics; Coping (psychology); Emotional exhaustion; RT1-120; Emotional Labor in Workplace Environments; Clinical psychology; Social Sciences; Health Professions; Nursing; FOS: Health sciences; Anger; Social psychology; 03 medical and health sciences; Nursing management; Sociology; Emotional labour; Qualitative research; Health Sciences; Sadness; Psychology; Burnout; Economic growth; Coping strategies; Health care; Emotional demands; Social science; 16. Peace & justice; Thematic analysis; Emotional Regulation; FOS: Sociology; 3. Good health; FOS: Psychology; Nurses and midwives; Ghana; General Health Professions; Medicine; 0305 other medical science; Emotional regulation; Research Article; Workplace Bullying and Harassment in Professional Environments

AbstractBackgroundEmotional regulation forms an integral part of healthcare delivery. In the performance of the core duties of nursing and midwifery, health professionals are expected to enhance occupationally/organisationally required emotions. The purpose of this study is to explore.The meaning nurses and midwives give to emotional labour as well as the coping resources employed by these professionals in order to manage the emotional demands of their profession.MethodA qualitative study was conducted using a semi-structured interview guide with fifteen (15) purposively selected nurses and midwives. Interviews were recorded and simultaneously translated and transcribed. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.ResultsOur findings showed that participants conceptualized emotional labour as display of rules. Sadness, abuse and bullying, poor incentivisation, emotional exhaustion and emotional mix bag were reported by the participants as emotional demands and deficits. Nurses and midwives coped with emotional labour through the use of five (5) main resources: psychological capital, routinisation of emotions, religious resources, social support and job security.ConclusionNursing and midwifery professional duties are accompanied with emotional regulations which tend to have consequential effects on a myriad of work-related issues. Clinical healthcare training needs to intensify and equip professionals with the skills of regulating and managing their emotions since managing emotional demands are central to effective healthcare delivery.