BJOG : an international journal of obstetrics and gynaecology
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Maternal and paternal psychological distress influence children's development and health beyond the perinatal period. The aim of our study was to describe psychological health during a 5-year period in parents of preschool children. Secondarily, we wanted to explore differences between mothers and fathers and identify predictors for increased psychological distress in parents. ⋯ Fathers reported significantly lower frequency of clinically important psychological distress and more stable scores than mothers throughout the period. The results indicate that selected psychometric screening may be warranted for parents with known psychosocial risk factors.