The emotional labor of nursing assistants in eldercare: A scoping review of empirical qualitative literature.

BACKGROUND

In the coming years, the elderly population is expected to grow, and with it, the need for nursing assistants in eldercare. The work of nursing assistants is physically and emotionally arduous: they face emotional demands and are often forced to engage in emotional labor.

AIM: This scoping study investigated peer-reviewed journal publications on the emotional labor of nursing assistants or nurses' aides in eldercare.

METHOD: Five academic databases were searched using the PCC and PRISMA-ScR protocols to find empirical articles in peer-reviewed journals on nurses' emotional labor in eldercare.

RESULTS

688 articles were found using the search strategy. A final sample of 13 empirical articles remained following a three-stage process of screening and elimination. Nurses' aides' emotional labor was shown to be influenced by institutional hierarchies, workplace culture, patient needs, and family expectations, often requiring nursing assistants to manage their own emotions while dealing with those of others to maintain professionalism, therapeutic presence, and care quality.

CONCLUSION

To understand the intricate emotional dynamics that exist in eldercare nursing work, more research focusing on nurses' aides' emotional labor is needed.