An exploration of managing emotional labour and maintaining professional integrity in children's hospice nursing

Abstract

Background: Research exploring nurse-parent relationships in children's hospices is rare. Aim: To investigate how children's hospice nurses manage emotional labour and professional integrity in their long-term relationships with parents. Methods: A purposive sample of six children's nurses, from hospices across England, recorded audio diaries and participated in telephone interviews. Narratives were thematically analysed. Findings: Three overarching, cross-cutting themes were identified—purposeful positioning; balancing personability and professionalism; coping with and counterbalancing emotional labour. All themes were indicative of and/or built upon emotional intelligence constructs, such as self-awareness, self-regulation, appropriate (managed) empathy, social skills and intrinsic motivation. Innate features of children's hospice work were important for perpetuating intrinsic motivation and satisfaction. Conclusion: This study provided an insight into the management of emotional labour and professional integrity by experienced children's hospice nurses. The identification of emotional intelligence skills merits further exploration in this environment, as well as other children's palliative care settings.