Association Between Adaptive Coping and Medication Adherence Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background/Objectives: Previous evidence suggests that psychosocial factors may play an important role in shaping medication adherence among individuals with chronic diseases; however, the relationship between adaptive coping and medication adherence in adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D) remains inconsistent, and evidence from low- and middle-income settings, including Mexico, is limited. Given the high burden of T2D and the persistently high prevalence of medication non-adherence in this population, understanding potentially modifiable psychosocial determinants is particularly relevant. Hence, we aimed to evaluate the association between adaptive coping and medication adherence among Mexican adults with T2D. Methods: We conducted an analytical cross-sectional study among 564 adults attending two primary care health centers in Hidalgo, Mexico. Adaptive coping was assessed using the Coping and Adaptation Processing Scale, and medication adherence was measured with the four-item Morisky–Green–Levine Medication Adherence Scale. Associations of interest were evaluated using Poisson regression models to estimate prevalence ratios and 95% confidence intervals, adjusting for confounders. Results: The prevalence of medication non-adherence was 81.4%. Each 20-point increase in adaptive coping was associated with a 4.8% lower prevalence of non-adherence in adjusted models (PR = 0.95; 95% CI: 0.92–0.98), with no significant effect modification by sex or educational level. Conclusions: Lower adaptive coping was associated with a higher prevalence of medication non-adherence in adults with T2D. These findings contribute to the literature describing psychosocial factors in the context of diabetes care and situate coping among the psychosocial characteristics reported in individuals managing type 2 diabetes in primary care settings.