Emotional labour influences on psychological health: The moderating role of religiosity

Abstract

The present study examined the direct association between emotional labour and psychological health, and the moderating role of religiosity among media practitioners in Ghana. Using a cross-sectional design, 336 media practitioners (female = 31%) completed a survey on emotional labour (surface acting and deep acting), psychological health (general well-being and emotional exhaustion), and religiosity. Following hierarchical regression analyses, results showed that while surface acting significantly predicted psychological health, deep acting had no significant relationship with psychological health. Religiosity had a significant moderating effect on the influence of surface acting on psychological health, through reducing the negative effect of surface acting on well-being. These findings underscore the need for emotional management competence training and intervention for media practitioners to protect their psychological health.

Keywords:

• emotional exhaustion
• emotional labour
• media practitioners
• general well-being
• religiosity
• Ghana