**3.1 General characteristics**

Seventy-eight percent of the respondents were male, and 100% were Christian. The mean ages of males and females were not statistically significantly different. Sixty trainees participated in the training, but only 48 had complete test scores for pretest and posttest scores. Of the 12 trainees that missed either pretest or posttest screens, 6 were absent at the time of the posttest assessment while 10 missed the pretest assessment. Of the 54 trainees who took the pretest assessment, 5 (9.3%) screened positive for medium to high suicide risk. At posttest assessment, 6 trainees out of 54 (11.1%) screened positive for suicidality. Part of the explanation for the higher proportion of trainees screening positive for medium to high suicide risk lies in the respective trainees having joined the training on the second or third day of training. Because of this, the trainees missed much of the information and discussion about psychosocial distress that results from exposure to traumatic stress.
