Our latest session featured a deep dive into the critical intersections of loneliness and its association with suicidal thoughts and behaviours. We were joined by Dr. Gretta Mohan, recipient of the 2025 Barrington Medal, who shared her latest findings from a collaboration between the ESRI and the HSE’s National Office for Suicide Prevention.
Key Highlights of the talk: The “Loneliness Capital”: The discussion contextualized Ireland’s current standing as the loneliest member state in the EU and how this status correlates with public health trends and other factors impacting feelings of loneliness in Ireland. Data-Driven Insights: Dr. Mohan explored fresh data from the 2021 and 2023 Healthy Ireland surveys, specifically looking at how loneliness impacts suicide attempts versus suicidal ideation differently across different ages and gender.
The presentation was followed by an engaging Q&A, where Gretta addressed numerous questions from the audience, further exploring the nuances of her findings. Content Warning: This recap and the associated webinar discuss suicide attempts and ideation. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out to local support services or Samaritans Ireland.
Insights from the RECETAS Project In this webinar, Dr. Laura Coll Planas shared valuable insights on tailoring interventions to address loneliness among older adults in particular using arts and nature to reduce social isolation. Drawing from her work with the European RECETAS project (Reimagining Environments for Connection and Engagement: Testing Actions for Social Prescribing in Natural Spaces), she discussed “Friends in Nature”—an innovative nature-based social intervention being tested across six global cities, including Barcelona, Helsinki, and Melbourne. This group-based program uses natural settings to foster social connections and improve health-related quality of life. Dr. Coll Planas, an Associate Professor of Public Health at the University of Vic-Central University of Catalonia, leads the clinical trial in Barcelona and coordinates the international testing of this intervention. Her expertise in loneliness research and community engagement offers practical approaches for researchers, healthcare professionals, and anyone working to combat social isolation.
Our recent webinar featured insightful presentations on global and national approaches to loneliness and social connection.
Dr. Nina Goldman (University of Basel) shared her groundbreaking review of loneliness policies across 194 WHO member states, highlighting the “Geography of Loneliness” and its impact on urban well-being.
Dr. Kiffer Card (Simon Fraser University) discussed Canada’s public health guidelines for social connection, emphasizing the strategic shift from focusing on loneliness to promoting connection.
The session concluded with an engaging Q&A moderated by Dr. Joanna McHugh Power (Maynooth University), who facilitated a dynamic discussion on these critical topics.
Our recent webinar by our chair Joanna McHugh Power, PhD, Associate Professor in Psychology in Maynooth University who gave an overview of guidelines that aim to evaluate social isolation and loneliness interventions in a lunchtime webinar.
