A period prevalence study of being a parent in a secure psychiatric hospital and a description of the parents, the children and the impact of admission on parent-child contact.

Background: Most secure psychiatric hospital patients are of childbearing age, but their parental status is minimally researched.

Aim: The aim of the study is to describe the parent patients in one regional secure hospital and explore post-admission child-parent contact.

Methods: A 9-year records survey of a complete secure hospital admissions cohort was conducted.