Correlation between Emotional Labour and Job Satisfaction among Physiotherapists: A Cross-sectional Survey in Multispecialty Hospitals of Delhi NCR, India

Introduction: Healthcare delivery has undergone significant changes, making Emotional Labour (EL) a key factor contributing to worker wellbeing and service quality. Physiotherapists often navigate patients’ pain, fear and expectations during treatment, leading to emotional strain. Aim: To quantify the relationship between EL dimensions (surface acting, deep acting, suppression and emotional consonance) and job satisfaction to guide strategies for improving the workplace experience. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design was used to measure the relationships among 400 physiotherapists in direct patient care at public and private multispecialty hospitals in Delhi-NCR, India between January 2023 and January 2024. Data were collected using standardised questionnaires: the Dutch Questionnaire on Emotional Labour (D-QEL), which includes four EL dimensions and the Minnesota Satisfaction Scale, which measures general, intrinsic and extrinsic job satisfaction. Comprehensive statistical analyses determined the strength and direction of these associations. Results: General satisfaction was negatively correlated with surface acting (r-value=-0.917, p-value <0.001), deep acting (r-value=-0.896, p-value <0.001), and suppression (r-value=- 0.910, p-value <0.001), whereas emotional consonance showed a positive correlation (r-value=0.870, p-value <0.001). Intrinsic satisfaction, reflecting personal fulfilment, also negatively correlated with surface acting (r-value=-0.935, p-value <0.001), deep acting (r-value=-0.918, p-value <0.001), and suppression (r-value=-0.926, p-value <0.001), but was positively correlated with emotional consonance (r-value=0.879, p-value <0.001). Similarly, extrinsic satisfaction, linked to external job factors, showed strong negative correlations with surface acting (r-value=-0.921, p-value <0.001), deep acting (r-value=-0.903, p-value <0.001), and suppression (r-value=-0.916, p-value <0.001), but a positive correlation with emotional consonance (r-value=0.872, p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Higher emotional consonance significantly improves job satisfaction, whereas surface acting and suppression contribute to dissatisfaction. Training in emotional intelligence can enhance physiotherapists’ wellbeing and overall job satisfaction, ultimately improving healthcare service quality