Suicide is the second leading cause of death for American Indian and Alaskan Natives (AIAN) aged 15-24, and suicide rates among AIAN adolescents are highest of any US racial/ethnic group. To address this disparity, researchers often partner with tribal nations and institutions to develop and test suicide prevention interventions. Importantly, these interventions differ along the dimension of promotion-orientation (increasing and maintaining overall mental wellbeing) vs prevention-orientation (surveillance and early identification of those at highest risk). Regulatory focus theory specifies that the regulatory system motivates complex behaviors through promotion-focus (hopes and gains), or prevention-focus (safety and responsibility). This talk will explore results from two applications of Regulatory Focus Theory in this area: (1) A systematic review of interventions to prevent suicide in American Indian and Alaskan Native communities, comparing prevention versus promotion focused self-regulatory approaches for fit effects and examining alignment between interventions’ regulatory focus and respective outcomes selected. (2) A secondary data analysis of associations between beliefs about suicide prevention and self-reported promotion and/or prevention actions in a primarily Alaska Native sample.