Attending religious services can help prevent suicidal thoughts, new research reveals.

The findings are from the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (­Tilda), at Trinity College Dublin, based on responses from 8,000 adults.

The study explores the critical issue of social disconnection and its link to a “wish to die” among older adults.

Dr Mark Ward, senior research fellow at Tilda, said: “Both loneliness and suicide among older adults have been increasing and are now viewed as critical public health concerns. This wish for death is often a precursor to suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

“On the other hand, pro-social behaviours, including attending religious services and other communal activities, protect against these negative thoughts about one’s own life.

“Uniquely, we also show attending religious services regularly can protect against death ideation among older adults in Ireland. Our findings again highlight the importance of promoting social activities and networks to safeguard against loneliness and related ­psychological distress.”