Network analysis of illegitimate tasks, emotional labor, and turnover intention among clinical nurses: a cross-sectional study

The persistently high turnover rate of nurses worldwide continues to exacerbate workforce shortages, posing a significant threat to the stability of the nursing workforce and patient outcomes. Illegitimate tasks and emotional labor among nurses are key antecedents of their turnover intention. However, previous studies have not yet examined the complex interrelationships among these three factors. This cross-sectional study included 716 clinical nurses from five hospitals in Gansu Province. A regularized Gaussian graphical model was estimated, with nodes representing the dimensions of the illegitimate tasks, emotional labor, and turnover intention scales. Strength centrality and bridge centrality were then calculated to identify the core and bridge nodes within the network. The network revealed a densely interconnected structure among illegitimate tasks, emotional labor, and turnover intention. The possibility of quitting the current job emerged as the most central node (strength = 1.04), while surface acting showed the highest bridge centrality (bridge strength = 0.40). The strongest association was observed between unnecessary tasks and unreasonable tasks (weight = 0.72). This network analysis identified the possibility of quitting the current job as the core node and surface acting as a key bridge node linking illegitimate tasks and turnover intention. These findings identify potential intervention targets for improving nurses’ occupational well-being and workforce retention.