DescriptionBackground: Expressed emotion (EE) and maternal depression are important risk factors for youth depression and functioning. The present study examined these two risk-factors, both concurrently and longitudinally, within a sample of adolescents who were at risk for developing a depressive disorder as a function of elevated depression symptoms. Methods: Fifty-seven adolescents and their mothers were drawn from a randomized trial of Interpersonal Psychotherapy-Adolescent Skills Training (IPT-AST). Assessments were conducted at baseline, post-intervention, and at 6-, 12-, and 18-month follow up. First, rates of critical EE were examined in this subclinical sample. Second, an ANCOVA framework was used to examine the relationship between EE, maternal depression, and adolescent depression and functioning. Results: Rates of critical EE in our sample were comparable to rates of critical EE in other at-risk and clinical samples. At baseline and post-intervention, no significant relationships were found between critical EE and adolescent depression and functioning. Maternal depression was related to one of the two measures of adolescent depression at baseline, but not to functioning. Both maternal depression and critical EE predicted adolescent depression and functioning at the 6- and 12-month follow up, however maternal depression was a more enduring risk factor in the longer term. Conclusions: Results suggest that although critical EE remains an important predictor of later adolescent depression and functioning, maternal depression may be a stronger risk-factor beyond the one year follow-up.