Habit strength as a moderator of the association between symptoms of poor mental health and unintentional non

This study tested if habit strength for taking oral hypoglycemic medication moderated the association between poor mental health symptoms (i.e. depressive symptoms, diabetes distress) and unintentional non-adherence in 790 adults with type 2 diabetes. Data were cross-sectional. A habit strength？×？depressive symptom interaction was observed. Depressive symptoms were negatively associated with adherence if habit was weak or of average strength; no association was observed if habit was strong. A similar interaction emerged when diabetes distress was examined. Results suggest that habit strength might operate as a buffer in the association between poor mental health symptoms and medication adherence