Mediating Effect of Emotional Labour on the Role Pressure and Silence Behaviour of Nurses.

This study examines the mediating role of emotional labour on the relationship between role stress and silence behaviour among nurses in a grade-A tertiary women–children special hospital in China. Using structural equation modelling on data from 1,145 certified frontline nurses, the study found that emotional labour positively correlates with both role stress and silence behaviour, and functions as a mediator between them. Role stress, encompassing role conflict, ambiguity, and overload, was moderate among participants, while emotional labour strategies such as surface and deep acting were commonly employed, with true emotional expression less frequent. The findings suggest that enhancing nurses' emotional management skills and fostering supportive work environments may reduce role stress and silence behaviour, thereby improving nursing quality and job satisfaction.