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Background: Continuity of care is crucial in diabetes treatment, which requires ongoing management. However, the comorbidity of depression and diabetes can disrupt this continuity. This study aimed to examine the role of usual source of care (USC) in diabetes treatment and how its effect changes in the presence of depression. We analyzed the effect of USC on medication adherence, a key component of diabetes management, and investigated how this effect varies when diabetes is accompanied by depression. Methods: The 2020 Korea Health Panel Data were used to examine 1,484 adults aged 19 or older with diabetes. The effect of USC on medication adherence was verified using multivariate logistic regression analysis with USC as the independent variable and medication adherence as the dependent variable. Additionally, the moderating effect of depression on the effect of USC on medication adherence was tested using the PROCESS moderation model and two-way analysis of variance. Results: Among the 1,484 diabetes patients, the proportion experiencing depressive symptoms was 11.7%. Of the study participants, 76.8% had a USC, and 65.6% demonstrated medication adherence. The adherence rate was lower in the depressive group compared to the nondepressive group (t=2.34, p<0.05). The odds of medication adherence were 1.60 times higher in the group with USC compared to the group without (odds ratio [OR], 1.60; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.24–2.06; p<0.001). When analyzed separately for the depressive and non-depressive groups, the non-depressive group showed higher medication adherence when having USC (OR, 1.72; 95% CI, 1.31–2.25; p<0.001), whereas this was not the case for the depressive group. The interaction effect of having USC and depressive symptoms on medication adherence was tested, confirming the moderating effect of depression (B=–0.71, p<0.05). When there are no depressive symptoms, having USC is associated with higher medication adherence, but this effect diminishes in the presence of depressive symptoms. Conclusion: This study confirmed the importance of USC in enhancing medication adherence and that the negative mental health condition of depression can diminish this effect. There is a need for institutional support to expand the positive functions of USC in managing diabetes, a chronic disease. For patients with depressive symptoms, supplementary intervention strategies may be necessary for their mental health in addition to USC