Kirsty Vant

Research Interests

My research explores the social and relational nature of sleep, with a particular focus on parent–child synchrony in middle childhood. I am interested in how behavioural, biological, and contextual factors interact to shape sleep patterns within families, and how these dynamic processes contribute to children’s emotional and developmental wellbeing. Drawing on biopsychosocial and developmental frameworks, my work integrates multiple levels of analysis, including behavioural observation, genetic data, and neurophysiological measures, to better understand how sleep unfolds as a shared, interactive process. I am also interested in the application of this research to clinical practice, particularly in developing and refining family-focused and cognitive behavioural interventions for paediatric sleep difficulties.