Recruitment, Baseline Assessment, Randomization, and Blinding
apnea hypopnea, anxiety, dementia, musculoskeletal disorder, unstable depression
SLEEP APNEA, MUSCULOSKELETAL DISORDER, BLIND, EVENTS, OBESITY HYPOVENTILATION SYNDROME
Participants were recruited from a sleep clinic at each site. The inclusion criteria were as follows: 21 to 80 years of age, apnea hypopnea index ≥10 events per hour, and CPAP naive. Potential participants were excluded if they had a chronic condition, including unstable depression or anxiety, dementia, a facial musculoskeletal disorder, obesity hypoventilation syndrome, central or complex sleep apnea, or had a requirement for supplemental oxygen. Before randomization, all participants were asked to complete a psychological profiling questionnaire to categorize them as a “fighter,” an “optimist,” a “sensitive,” or an “analyst” and to assess their opposite profile (ie, the profile that applied to them the least; Willing and eligible participants were randomized in a 1:1:1 ratio using an adaptive biased coin randomization sequence, stratified by gender and psychological profile [Participants were blinded by not being informed of their group allocation. It was not possible to blind the study staff given the need to provide the study materials (ie, brochures) to each participant.