Under pressure? Exploring the moderating and mediating role of principal–teacher relationships in primary and secondary school teachers’ burnout symptoms

Identifying protective factors against increased work pressure is crucial to prevent teachers from experiencing burnout complaints. Two studies with 363 primary (Study 1; 95.0% female) and 419 secondary school teachers (Study 2; 80.4% female) tested whether dyad-level principal–teacher relationships (closeness, conflict) moderated or mediated the associations between work pressure and burnout symptoms. In both studies, closeness and conflict partially mediated the association of work pressure with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Closeness fully (Study 1) or partially (Study 2) mediated the association with personal accomplishment. However, no evidence for a moderating role was found. To conclude, principal–teacher relationships seem to be a potential mechanism underlying the association between work pressure and burnout.