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A longitudinal model of emotional labor and job-related psychosocial health: controlling
for emotional demands is vital.
We investigated emotional labor and occupational psychosocial health outcomes
(including job satisfaction, burnout, and quality of life) among Australian school principals
(N=1300) in a three-wave longitudinal study. Structural equation modelling revealed no
causal relationships between any emotional labor facet and psychosocial work variables or
vice versa. However, when individual level of emotional demands was not included as a
predictor in the structural equation model some reverse causation relationships between
emotional labor and psychosocial occupational health appeared. This finding suggests that
emotional demand levels are not uniform by, or even within, profession but are wide-ranging
and need to be accounted for as a direct effect before measuring how emotional labor may
impact on psychosocial health.