Study Objectives: Obstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a common sleep disorder associated with a myriad of sequelae. OSAHS is effectively treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy. However, fewer than 50% of patients are compliant with their CPAP therapy prescriptions. The current study sought to explore an integrated, biopsychological approach to CPAP adherence among experienced CPAP users. Methods: We performed a retrospective, cross-sectional analysis of a cohort of veterans with a diagnosis of OSAHS (n = 191) who were prescribed CPAP therapy and returned for adherence download at the Miami VA Sleep Clinic. The relationships between biomedical characteristics (e.g., CPAP pressure, selfreported sleepiness, and change in sleep efficiency) and psychological factors (e.g., self-efficacy beliefs and psychological diagnoses) and objectively measured CPAP use were examined to determine whether psychological factors moderated the relationships between biomedical characteristics and CPAP adherence. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses predicting CPAP adherence (adjusting for time since CPAP prescription, age, education, prescribed CPAP pressure, daytime sleepiness, changes in sleep efficiency with CPAP, and psychiatric conditions) revealed the following: (1) CPAP self-efficacy and CPAP pressure were positively related to adherence, and (2) CPAP self-efficacy moderates the relationship between CPAP pressure and CPAP adherence. Conclusions: There was no relationship between CPAP pressure and adherence in individuals with low self-efficacy beliefs. However, for individuals with high self-efficacy beliefs, there was a significant positive relationship between CPAP pressure and adherence. Self-efficacy beliefs appear to be a prime target for focused interventions aimed at improving CPAP adherence among those individuals with higher pressure prescriptions.
I NTRO DUCTI O NObstructive sleep apnea-hypopnea syndrome (OSAHS) is a very common clinical condition. Population-based estimates suggest that approximately 20% of adults, or one in five, meet the criteria for at least mild OSAHS, based on an apnea-hypopnea index ≥ 5.1 OSAHS can be effectively treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.2,3 However, adherence with treatment recommendations is relatively low. 4 We sought to examine previously described biomedical and psychological factors associated with CPAP adherence, as well as investigate whether psychological factors (i.e., self-efficacy beliefs) might modify the association of biomedical characteristics and CPAP adherence.Identification of predictors of CPAP adherence is critically important given the many unwanted negative consequences of untreated OSAHS, such as deficits across multiple cognitive domains, 5,6 when viewed in context of the extremely high nonadherence rates associated with CPAP therapy. Approximately 50% of patients prescribed CPAP are completely noncompliant with therapy recommendation at 1 y. 4 In addition, 15% to 30% of patients with...