Boumparis. Digital Health · Addiction · Forensic Mental Health

Researcher in digital health, addiction, and youth forensics.

Head of Research and Quality Assurance at the Centre for Child and Youth Forensics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich, and Postdoctoral Researcher at the Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF). My work evaluates digital interventions for addictive behaviours and examines therapeutic approaches in youth forensic settings.

Postdoctoral Researcher
Swiss Research Institute for Public Health and Addiction (ISGF)
Since 2021
Head of Research & QA
Centre for Child & Youth Forensics, University Hospital of Psychiatry Zurich
Since 2024
§ 01 — Research

What I work on.

My research combines technology and mental health care, examining how digital tools can improve treatment in addiction science. I develop and test evidence-based interventions and use large-scale data and meta-analytic methods to identify what works, for whom, and under which conditions, with a focus on vulnerable populations.

I hold a Bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of Crete and a Research Master's in Clinical and Developmental Psychopathology from Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. I subsequently completed my Ph.D. at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, focusing on digital mental health interventions for hard-to-reach populations.

— ISGF

Digital Health Interventions & Addiction

At ISGF I evaluate digital tools designed to help individuals modify harmful behaviours and enhance their wellbeing. My interest lies in identifying the factors that contribute to the effectiveness of these interventions and exploring strategies to maintain user engagement over time. My work encompasses both substance use and behavioural dependencies, using clinical trials, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses to determine treatment efficacy.

— ZKJF

Youth Forensic Mental Health

Since joining the Centre for Child and Youth Forensics in 2024, a significant portion of my research focuses on young people in forensic mental health settings. Approximately 84% of youth in juvenile facilities report having used drugs and around 60% meet criteria for a substance use disorder in the year prior to entering custody, yet only about 28% have ever utilised treatment services - a gap that drives much of my current work.

§ 02 — Publications

Publications, by year.

2025
  • Haug, S., Wenger, A., Arana-Arri, E., Barasoain, M., Vélez-Del-Burgo, A., Koutra, K., Molina-Barceló, A., De Pablo-Pardo, T., Kiselev, N., Boumparis, N., Studhalter, O., Schaub, M. P., Hudders, L., De Keyzer, E., Folkvord, F., Champion, K., Triantafyllidis, A., & SUNRISE consortium. (2025). Efficacy of an instant messaging-based life-skills training program to prevent behavioral risk factors among adolescents in Europe: Study protocol of a cluster-randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychology, 13, Article 1292. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-025-03592-1
  • Haag, D., Meyer, A., Boumparis, N., Wenger, A., Baumgartner, C., Malischnig, D., … & Schaub, M. P. (2025). Problem Gambling and its Relation to Delayed Reward Discounting: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of Gambling Studies, 1–19.
2024
  • Kiselev, N., Amsler, S., Boumparis, N., Dey, M., Wenger, A., Schnoz, D., … & Gross, C. S. (2024). Behavioural patterns and dangers: a mixed-methods exploration of simultaneous polysubstance use and intervention strategies among Swiss adolescents. Swiss Medical Weekly, 154(9), 3895–3895.
2023
  • Boumparis, N., Baumgartner, C., Malischnig, D., Wenger, A., Achab, S., Khazaal, Y., … & Schaub, M. P. (2023). Effectiveness of a web-based self-help tool to reduce problem gambling: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of Behavioral Addictions, 12(3), 744–757.
  • Boumparis, N., Noroozi, A., Naghizadeh, E. et al. (2023). Blended smartphone intervention for patients in opioid maintenance treatment in Iran: protocol for a randomized controlled trial. BMC Psychiatry, 23, 518.
  • Haug, S., Boumparis, N., Wenger, A., Paz Castro, R., & Schaub, M. P. (2023). Mobile App-Based Coaching for Alcohol Prevention among Adolescents: Pre–Post Study on the Acceptance and Effectiveness of the Program "MobileCoach Alcohol". International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(4), 3263.
  • Haug, S., Boumparis, N., Wenger, A., Schaub, M. P., & Kiselev N. (2023). Predictors of Youth Accessibility for a Mobile Phone-Based Life Skills Training Program for Addiction Prevention. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(14), 6379.
  • Schaub, M. P., Boumparis N. (2023). CANreduce 1.0 bis 3.0: Entwicklungen und Erkenntnisse eines webbasierten Selbsthilfeprogramms zur Reduktion des Cannabiskonsums. Suchtmedizin, 25(5), 267–273.
2022
  • Ahlers, J., Baumgartner, C., Augsburger, M., Wenger, A., Malischnig, D., Boumparis, N., … & Schaub, M. P. (2022). Cannabis Use in Adults Who Screen Positive for Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder: CANreduce 2.0 Randomized Controlled Trial Subgroup Analysis. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 24(4), e30138.
  • Boumparis, N., Haug, S., Abend, S., Billieux, J., Riper, H., & Schaub, M. P. (2022). Internet-based interventions for behavioral addictions: A systematic review. Journal of Behavioral Addictions.
  • Boumparis, N., & Schaub, M. P. (2022). Recent advances in digital health interventions for substance use disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 35(4), 246–251.
  • Haug, S., Boumparis, N., Wenger, A., Schaub, M. P., & Paz Castro, R. (2022). Efficacy of a mobile app-based coaching program for addiction prevention among apprentices: a cluster-randomized controlled trial. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(23), 15730.
  • Schulte, M. H., Boumparis, N., Huizink, A. C., & Riper, H. (2022). Technological Interventions for the Treatment of Substance Use Disorders. Comprehensive Clinical Psychology, 264.
  • Schulte, M. H., Boumparis, N., Kleiboer, A., Wind, T. R., Olff, M., Huizink, A. C., & Riper, H. (2022). The effectiveness of a mobile intervention to reduce young adults' alcohol consumption to not exceed low-risk drinking guidelines. Frontiers in Digital Health, 4, 1016714.
  • van der Boom, B., Boumparis, N., Donker, T., de Beurs, D., Arntz, A., & Riper, H. (2022). Internet-delivered interventions for personality disorders – A scoping review. Internet Interventions, 100525.
2021
  • Boumparis, N., Schulte, M. H., Kleiboer, A., Huizink, A., & Riper, H. (2021). A mobile intervention to promote low-risk drinking habits in young adults: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial. JMIR Research Protocols, 10(6), e29750.
2020
  • Bolinski, F., Boumparis, N., Kleiboer, A., Cuijpers, P., Ebert, D. D., & Riper, H. (2020). The effect of e-mental health interventions on academic performance in university and college students: A meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Internet Interventions, 100321.
  • Schaub, M. P., Berman, A. H., Pelayo, H. L., Boumparis, N., Khadjesari, Z., Blankers, M., … & Pas, L. (2020). e-INEBRIA special interest group roadmap for best practices for research on brief digital interventions for problematic alcohol and illicit drug use. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 22(8), e20368.
2019
  • Boumparis, N., Loheide-Niesmann, L., Blankers, M., Ebert, D. D., Korf, D., Schaub, M. P., Spijkerman, R., Tait, R. J., & Riper, H. (2019). Short- and Long-Term Effects of Digital Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Cannabis Use Reduction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Drug and Alcohol Dependence.
  • Boumparis, N., Schulte, M. H., & Riper, H. (2019). Digital mental health for alcohol and substance use disorders. Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 6(4), 352–366.
2018
  • Riper, H., Hoogendoorn, A., Cuijpers, P., Karyotaki, E., Boumparis, N., Mira, A., … & Blankers, M. (2018). Effectiveness and treatment moderators of internet interventions for adult problem drinking: An individual patient data meta-analysis of 19 randomised controlled trials. PLoS Medicine, 15(12), e1002714.
2017
  • Boumparis, N., Karyotaki, E., Schaub, M. P., Cuijpers, P., & Riper, H. (2017). Internet Interventions for Adult Illicit Substance Users: A Meta-analysis. Addiction.
2016
  • Boumparis, N., Karyotaki, E., Kleiboer, A., Hofmann, S. G., & Cuijpers, P. (2016). The effect of Psychotherapeutic Interventions on Positive and Negative Affect in Depression: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis. Journal of Affective Disorders.
§ 03 — Presentations

Selected talks.

2025
  • "Digitale Technologien für straffällige Jugendliche: Ein Scoping Review." European Association for Forensic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychology & other involved Professions (EFCAP-CH), Lausanne, Switzerland, November 2025.
  • "CANreduce 3.0: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Mindfulness-Based and CBT-Based Digital Interventions Against a Waiting List Control Condition for Cannabis Use Reduction." European Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ESRII), Vilnius, Lithuania, October 2025.
  • "CANreduce 3.0: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Mindfulness-Based and CBT-Based Digital Interventions Against a Waiting List Control Condition for Cannabis Use Reduction." European Association of Substance Abuse Research, Vienna, Austria, May 2025.
2024
  • "Die therapeutische Allianz im jugendforensischen Kontext." 13. Kinder- und Jugendforensisches Symposium, Zurich, Switzerland, November 2024.
  • "Factors influencing adherence to digital health interventions targeting addictive behaviours in adolescents: A systematic review." European Association of Substance Abuse Research, Prague, Czech Republic, May 2024.
2023
  • "Wodka, Benzos & Co: Jugendliche und junge Erwachsene mit Mischkonsum." Arud Zentrum für Suchtmedizin, Zurich, Switzerland, March 2023.
  • "Snow Control – A web-based intervention to assist problematic cocaine users to reduce or cease their use." Let's Talk Overdose Conference, Online, April 2023.
2022
  • "In adults with alcohol use disorders or hazardous drinking, are digital interventions effective?" World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, August 2022.
  • "In adults with drug use disorders or people using drugs, are digital or telemedicine interventions effective?" World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland, August 2022.
  • "Win Back Control – Effectiveness of a web-based self-help tool to reduce problem gambling: A randomized controlled trial." Virtual Solutions for Substance Use Care, Online, January 2022.
2021
  • "Digital Interventions for Adult Drug Users: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis." European Association of Substance Abuse Research, Gibraltar, May 2021.
2019
  • "A Supportive Digital Intervention Aiming to Reduce Young Adults' Alcohol Intake: A Randomized Controlled Trial." European Conference on Addictive Behaviours and Dependencies, Lisbon, Portugal, October 2019.
  • "Digitalisierung und Suchttherapie." Conference of the Fachverband Drogen- und Suchthilfe (FDR), Frankfurt, Germany, May 2019.
2018
  • "The Effects of Internet-based Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Cannabis Use Reduction." International Network on Brief Interventions for Alcohol & Other Drugs (INEBRIA), Santiago, Chile, September 2018.
2017
  • "The treatment of PTSD supported by the EMD app in routine care." The International Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ISRII), Berlin, Germany, October 2017.
  • "The Effects of Internet-based Prevention and Treatment Interventions for Cannabis Use Reduction." European Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ESRII), Bergen, Norway, October 2017.
§ 04 — For students

Internships & Master's theses.

Interested in tackling significant questions in digital health, addiction or youth forensics through meta-research? I supervise a limited number of highly motivated students for internships and Master's theses. A solid foundation in meta-analytic techniques is essential.

If you possess the required skills and a genuine drive to contribute, contact me via email detailing your background and research interests.

§ 05 — Resources

A working library.

A collection of resources that have shaped how I think about and approach research in digital health, addiction science, and clinical psychopathology. Whether you're a colleague, student, or fellow researcher, I hope you'll discover something useful here. These aren't meant to be definitive - just books, papers, and tools I've found helpful.

Digital Health & Intervention Science

  • Eysenbach, G. (2001). What is e-health?
  • Eysenbach, G. (2005). The Law of Attrition.
  • Mohr, D. C., et al. (2014). The Behavioral Intervention Technology Model: An Integrated Conceptual and Technological Framework for eHealth and mHealth Interventions.
  • Nahum-Shani, I., Smith, S. N., Spring, B. J., Collins, L. M., Witkiewitz, K., Tewari, A., & Murphy, S. A. (2018). Just-in-time adaptive interventions (JITAIs) in mobile health: key components and design principles for ongoing health behavior support. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 1–17.
  • Jain, S. H., Powers, B. W., Hawkins, J. B., & Brownstein, J. S. (2015). The digital phenotype. Nature Biotechnology, 33(5), 462–463.

Addiction Science & Clinical Psychopathology

  • Koob, G. F. & Volkow, N. D. (2010). Neurocircuitry of Addiction.
  • Marlatt, G. A. & Witkiewitz, K. (2002). Harm reduction approaches to alcohol use: Health promotion, prevention, and treatment.
  • Logan, D. E., & Marlatt, G. A. (2010). Harm Reduction Therapy: A Practice-Friendly Review of Research.
  • Caspi, A., et al. (2014). The p factor: one general psychopathology factor in the structure of psychiatric disorders?
  • Insel, T., Cuthbert, B., Garvey, M., Heinssen, R., Pine, D. S., Quinn, K., … & Wang, P. (2010). Research domain criteria (RDoC): toward a new classification framework for research on mental disorders. American Journal of Psychiatry, 167(7), 748–751.
  • Bickel, W. K., Johnson, M. W., Koffarnus, M. N., MacKillop, J., & Murphy, J. G. (2014). The behavioral economics of substance use disorders: reinforcement pathologies and their repair. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 10(1), 641–677.

Meta-Analysis Resources

Guides & Textbooks

  • Doing Meta-Analysis in R: A Hands-on Guide — A comprehensive, accessible introduction to conducting meta-analyses using R. [Link]
  • Meta-Analyses in Mental Health Research: A Practical Guide — Prof. Dr. Pim Cuijpers' free manual on conducting rigorous meta-analyses specifically in mental health contexts. [PDF Link]

Databases & Tools

  • Metapsy — An innovative open-access platform that democratizes meta-analytic research (I hope we'll get something similar for the addiction field!). [Link]
  • Open Science Framework (OSF) — For preregistration of studies. [Link]
  • PROSPERO — For preregistration of systematic reviews and meta-analyses and data sharing. [Link]
  • The Cochrane Risk-of-Bias 2 (RoB 2) Tool. [Link]
  • The GRADE (Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluations) Framework. [Link]

Important Papers

  • Salanti, G. (2012). Indirect and mixed-treatment comparison, network, or multiple-treatments meta-analysis: many names, many benefits, many concerns for the next generation evidence synthesis tool. Research Synthesis Methods, 3(2), 80–97.
  • Assink, M., & Wibbelink, C. J. (2016). Fitting three-level meta-analytic models in R: A step-by-step tutorial. The Quantitative Methods for Psychology, 12(3), 154–174.

Methodology & Reporting Standards

Clinical Trials & Interventions

  • Chan, A. W., Tetzlaff, J. M., Altman, D. G., Laupacis, A., Gøtzsche, P. C., Krleža-Jerić, K., … & Moher, D. (2013). SPIRIT 2013 statement: defining standard protocol items for clinical trials. Annals of Internal Medicine, 158(3), 200–207.
  • CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) — Essential guidelines for reporting randomized controlled trials, with specific extensions for eHealth interventions. [CONSORT Home] · [eHealth Extension]
  • TIDieR (Template for Intervention Description and Replication) — A comprehensive checklist for better reporting of interventions. [Link]
  • Shorter, G. W., et al. (2021). The Outcome Reporting in Brief Intervention Trials: Alcohol (ORBITAL) Core Outcome Set: International Consensus on Outcomes to Measure in Efficacy and Effectiveness Trials of Alcohol Brief Interventions.
  • Moons, K. G., Altman, D. G., Reitsma, J. B., Ioannidis, J. P., Macaskill, P., Steyerberg, E. W., … & Collins, G. S. (2015). Transparent Reporting of a multivariable prediction model for Individual Prognosis or Diagnosis (TRIPOD): explanation and elaboration. Annals of Internal Medicine, 162(1), W1–W73.

Evidence Synthesis

  • PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) — The gold standard for transparent reporting of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. [Link]
  • MARS (Mobile App Rating Scale) — A tool for assessing the quality of mobile health apps. [Link]
  • PRISMA-IPD — Guidelines for transparent reporting of individual participant data meta-analyses. [Link]
  • The Turing Way Community Handbook — An open science, open collaboration, and community-driven project. [Link]

Professional Organizations & Communities

  • European Association for Forensic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychology & other involved Professions (EFCAP-EU)
  • European Association for Forensic Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, Psychology & other involved Professions (EFCAP-CH)
  • European Association of Substance Abuse Research (EASAR)
  • European Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ESRII)
  • International Network on Brief Interventions for Alcohol & Other Drugs (INEBRIA)
  • International Society for Research on Internet Interventions (ISRII)

Note: This page is regularly updated based on my available time. Last updated: 25.04.2026.

§ 06 — Contact

Get in touch.

For research collaborations, supervision enquiries, or speaking invitations, write to me at niko@boumparis.com.

Email
niko@boumparis.com
Based in
Zurich, Switzerland
Scholar
Google Scholar profile
ORCID
0000-0002-3693-0168
OSF
osf.io/sqhz7
ResearchGate
/Nikolaos-Boumparis
LinkedIn
/in/nikolaos-boumparis
CV
Download (PDF)
Languages
English, German, Dutch, Greek