The study found that high parental expressed emotion (EE) was linked with each type of SITB assessed, i.e., suicidal thoughts, suicide plans, suicide attempts, and nonsuicidal self-injury. The analyses also found that one component of EE, parental criticism, was strongly associated with SITB; whereas, the other component, emotional over-involvement, did not have a strong link to SITB. Also, the relationship between EE and SITB was not explained by the presence of mental disorders. Further, the findings supported a moderation model in which the relationship between parental criticism and SITB was especially strong among adolescents with a self-critical attitude. Working with parents to lessen their EE behaviors in the home has proven effective in reducing patient relapse across a number of disorders and may be useful for youths at risk of self-injury as well. This study was conducted as part of a larger laboratory-based, case-control study of SITB. Adolescents and young adults ages 12 to 19 years old (n=36) were recruited from the community and local outpatient mental health clinics from 2004 to 2005. Parents of the adolescents completed the Five-Minute Speech Sample, a performance-based measure of EE, and adolescents completed interviews and rating scales that assessed SITB, mental disorders, and related constructs. 3 tables, 1 figure, and 57 references