Emotional labor and emotional exhaustion among physical education teachers: The moderating role of social support

Abstract

Background

Physical education (PE) teachers work in highly interactive settings where regulating emotions is a routine yet resource-intensive requirement, potentially increasing occupational strain.

Objective

Grounded in Conservation of Resources theory and the Job Demands–Resources model, this study examined how three emotional labor strategies—surface acting, deep acting, and genuine expression—relate to emotional exhaustion among Chinese primary and secondary school PE teachers, and whether social support moderates these associations.

Methods

Using convenience sampling, questionnaire data were collected from 1483 PE teachers. After controlling for gender, age, teaching experience, marital status, and education level, moderated regression analyses were conducted to test direct and interaction effects.

Results

Surface acting and deep acting were positively associated with emotional exhaustion, whereas genuine expression was negatively associated with emotional exhaustion. Social support significantly buffered the positive associations of surface acting and deep acting with emotional exhaustion, but did not significantly moderate the association between genuine expression and emotional exhaustion.

Conclusions

Emotional labor strategies show differentiated links with emotional exhaustion among PE teachers in China. Strengthening social support may help mitigate the adverse effects of resource-draining regulation strategies, offering context-specific implications for burnout prevention and occupational well-being in school settings.