How does emotional labor relate to emotional exhaustion among university counselors? the differential moderating roles of psychological detachment

University counselors are particularly susceptible to emotional exhaustion due to the demands of intensive emotional labor. Surface acting (pretending to display certain emotions) and deep acting (using cognitive reappraisal to regulate internal feelings) have different effects on emotional exhaustion. However, the combined mechanisms remain insufficiently explored. Moreover, few quantitative studies have examined the moderating role of psychological detachment in these relationships, particularly in the context of Chinese universities. This study addressed these limitations. This was a cross-sectional survey. In total, 271 full-time university counselors from China were selected using convenience cluster sampling. Participants completed three validated instruments: the Emotional Labor Scale, the Psychological Detachment Scale, and the Emotional Exhaustion Scale. An integrated latent moderated structural equation model (SEM) was constructed using AMOS 23.0, and the latent moderated structural equation (LMS) approach was employed to examine the dual-path relationships between emotional labor and emotional exhaustion, as well as the moderating effect of psychological detachment. The dual-path model demonstrated a good fit (χ²/df = 2.513, RMSEA = 0.062, CFI = 0.918, TLI = 0.905). Surface acting was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion (β = 0.315, p < 0.001), whereas deep acting was negatively correlated with it (β = -0.352, p < 0.001), with both effects exhibiting comparable magnitudes. Psychological detachment had significant path-specific moderating effects. Using the absolute value of the path coefficient at a low level of psychological detachment (M–1 SD) as the baseline, a high level of psychological detachment (M + 1 SD) significantly weakened the positive relationship between surface acting and emotional exhaustion (path coefficient decreased from 0.457 to 0.168, a reduction of 63.2%) and substantially strengthened the negative relationship between deep acting and emotional exhaustion (path coefficient decreased from -0.179 to -0.516, an increase of 188.3%). The findings support a dual-path model linking emotional labor to emotional exhaustion, and reveal differential moderation by psychological detachment. These results extend the Conservation of Resources Theory to high-emotional labor professions and inform interventions aimed at promoting counselors’ occupational health.