School principals’ job burnout and job satisfaction in Finland: The impact of work–family conflict, role conflict, and sense of community

School principals often experience job-related stress and burnout due to their competing roles. Previous research has primarily focused on administrative and individual factors, overlooking social and role-related factors that principals face at work and home. Using the job demands–resources (JD-R) framework, this study investigated the effects of work–family conflict, role conflict, and sense of community on principals’ job burnout and satisfaction. Gender differences in wellbeing outcomes, as well as job demands and resources, were also explored. Structural equation models (SEMs) were conducted using data from 625 Finnish principals (64.8% women). Bifactor analyses were performed to differentiate between the general and specific dimensions of burnout. The findings showed that work–family conflict and role conflict functioned as job demands that increased job burnout and dissatisfaction among principals. Interestingly, although sense of community was a supportive job resource, it was paradoxically associated with increased exhaustion. Gender differences, though modest, indicated that female principals reported slightly lower job burnout and marginally higher job satisfaction. However, female principals also reported more work–family conflict, which in turn predicted greater job burnout, exhaustion, and dissatisfaction. These findings suggest that principals’ relationships with the school community can be complex and influence their overall wellbeing.