Social support and medication adherence in Mexican adults with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

Objective: To analyze the relationship between social support and medication adherence in adults with type 2 diabetes.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted in the outpatient department of a secondary care hospital in Mexico City between July 2024 and January 2025. The study included 264 adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes who had received pharmacological treatment for at least 6 months. The Medical Outcomes Study–Social Support Survey (MOS) was used to identify social support, and the 4-item Morisky-Green-Levine Questionnaire was used to assess medication adherence.

Results: Overall, 37.5% of participants had low medication adherence. After adjusting for confounders, individuals with low overall social support were more likely to be nonadherent to their medication (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 2.74; 95% CI: 1.57–4.77). Specifically, significant associations were identified between nonadherence and low levels of instrumental support (aOR = 1.71; 95% CI: 1.00–2.91), positive social interaction (aOR = 1.86; 95% CI: 1.10–3.16), and affective support (aOR = 1.82; 95% CI: 1.07–3.05). In the sex-stratified analysis, the magnitude of the association was stronger in women (aOR = 5.23; 95% CI: 1.92–14.19) than in men (aOR = 2.09; 95% CI: 1.03–4.24).

Conclusion: Insufficient social support was associated with lower medication adherence, especially in women. Incorporating strategies that strengthen social support could improve treatment efficacy in T2D.

Keywords: Social support; Type 2 diabetes mellitus; Medication adherence.