Dr. Crispin Rakibu Mbamba is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work at Middle Tennessee State University. He earned his Master of Science in Defence, Development, and Diplomacy from Durham University in the United Kingdom and his Ph.D. from the University at Albany, SUNY. Dr. Mbamba's research focuses on the anti-exploitation of children, with particular attention to human trafficking and the systems that enable it. His work examines how trafficking and exploitation intersect with child health, connecting patterns of victimization to their physical, psychological, and developmental consequences. He has a strong interest in the health dimensions of exploitation, recognizing the critical role that access to care, trauma-informed services, and protective systems play in shaping recovery and long-term well-being for survivors. His work seeks to identify modifiable factors within the environments where exploitation occurs and to develop evidence-based interventions that promote safety, healing, and positive outcomes for children and families. Currently, Dr. Mbamba is building a research program that bridges gaps between research and practice and addresses key challenges at the intersection of child exploitation and health.

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Mbamba, CR & Adaranijo, E T (2026) Co-Occurring Structural Risks in Adolescence: The Independent Effects of Caregiver Hardship and CPS Involvement on Young Adult Material Well-Being  

Riding the waves: intergenerational digital storytelling to explore coastal flooding experiences CR Mbamba, P Dwumah, E Koomson-Yalley, ET Adaranijo Global Environmental Change 97, 103129  

The intersection of trauma-informed care and pediatric emergency nursing in Ghana: A critical interpretive synthesis CR Mbamba, MMS Mankir International Emergency Nursing 86, 101829  

Mbamba C.R (2025). Field Application of Sharing Circles (SCs) in Rural Anti-exploitation Research: A Detailed Methodological Account. Field methods https://doi.org/10.1177/1525822X251389775    

The Weight of Expectations: Child Marriage Through the Lens of the Socio-Health Dissonance Model (SHDM) in Ghana

Adaranijo, E. T., Marshall, C. R., & Mbamba, C. R. (2025). The impact of interprofessional collaboration on hospital wait times and length of stays: insights from the National hospital ambulatory medical Care survey (NHAMCS). Hospital Practice. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548331.2025.2591023  

Mbamba, C. R., Yeboaa, P. A., Gyimah, C., & Mccarthy, M. (2023). When child marriage and child welfare intersect: Understanding the barriers to education. Children & Society, 37(3), 966-978.  

Mbamba C.R., Moon, Y. & Ren, C. (2025). Media usage, family dynamics, socio-economic factors and geospatial analysis of mosquito net usage: Insights from a nationally representative study. Community Health Equity Research and Policy. https://doi.org/10.1177/2752535X251383182

Adaranijo, E. T., & Mbamba, C. R. (2025). “Growing up under pressure”: The family stress model and its role in psychological aggression and physical assault across early and late childhood in the U.S. Child Abuse & Neglect, 164, 107472. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2025.107472

Mbamba, C. R., *Gyimah, C., Adarajijo, E.T., *Ansie, V., *Mankir, M.M.S. & Ndemole, I. K. (2025). Child marriage through the lens of the socio-health dissonance framework: Understanding the barriers to education. Journal of Social Service Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2025.2481511  

Ansie, V., Mbamba, C. R., Brenyah, J. K., Esson, D., Arthur, C., Awortwe, V., & Hasheela, W. W. (2025). The power of community and culture: a study on community-based HIV/AIDS health promotion strategies in Ghana. International Perspectives on Health Equity, 1(1), 21-38.  

Ansie, V. & Mbamba, C.R. (2024). Connections: Intergenerational Digital Storytelling for Cultivating Resilience Across Lifespan. Innovations in Aging. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11691726/  

Abdullah, A., Mbamba, C. R., Amponsah, E. B., Frederico, M., Cudjoe, E., & Gyimah, C. (2023). Safeguarding the welfare of refugee children in Ghana: Perspectives of practitioners in refugee camps. Children and Youth Services Review, 106, 105582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2023.106582  

Mbamba, C. R., Amponsah, E. B., & Ndemole, I. K. (2023). Structural patterns that facilitate the trafficking of children: Narratives from practitioners involved in the rescue and after-care of trafficked children. Journal of Social Service Research, 49(1), 126-132. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2022.2133400  

Mbamba, C. R., Amponsah, E. B., Yeboaa, P. A., Annang, D., & McCarthy, M. (2023). Parents’ reflections on child trafficking mitigation mechanisms in trafficking hotspot communities. Global Crime, 24(2), 93-106. https://doi.org/10.1080/17440572.2023.2188287  

Mbamba, C. R., & Ndemole, I. K. (2022). Mbamba, C. R., Ndemole, I. K., Hassan, S. M., Arthur, I., & Mountz, S. (2022). Practice approaches to combat child trafficking in trafficking-sensitive areas in Ghana: Experiences of practitioners involved in child trafficking interventions. Children and youth services review, 140, 106582. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2022.106582  

Mbamba, C. R., Yeboaa, P. A., & Ndemole, I. K. (2022). Autistic children in the care of single mothers: Opportunities and barriers to safeguarding the welfare of special needs children. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 17(3), 232-242. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2022.2033458  

Yeboaa, P. A., Mbamba, C. R., & Ndemole, I. K. (2022). "Everything has turned against us": Experiences of left-behind spouses of incarcerated persons. Journal of Social Service Research. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2022.2044865  

Mbamba, C. R., Asare, J. L., & * Gyimah, C. (2022). A scoping review of trauma recovery pathways among refugees in the United States. Trauma Care, 2(4), 579-588. https://doi.org/10.3390/traumacare2040048  

Mbamba, C. R., Ndemole, I. K., Hassan, M. S., Gabuljah, S. G., & Okpattah, D. S. (2021). "I don't think anyone thinks of us": Experiences of teenage head porters amidst COVID-19 in Ghana. Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies, 17(3), 221-231. https://doi.org/10.1080/17450128.2021.1973457  

Owusu, A. F. S., Abdullah, A., Pinto, G. H., Bentum, H., Moo, J. T. N., Ayim, M., Mbamba, C. R., & Cudjoe, E. (2021). Where do we go after surviving the virus? Cross-country documentary analysis of the social consequences faced by COVID-19 survivors. International Quarterly of Community Health Education, 42(1), 37-45. https://doi.org/10.1177/0272684X211022176  

Mbamba, C. R., & Ndemole, I. K. (2021). "I paused my life": Experiences of single mothers caring for their autistic children in Ghana. Journal of Social Service Research, 47(5), 659-669. https://doi.org/10.1080/01488376.2021.1931346

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