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CART - Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit Assessment Survey

This theory-based, field-tested survey instrument assesses a community's resilience across multiple domains (Connection and Caring, Resources, Transformative Potential, Disaster Management, and Information and Communication), explores participants' personal relationship to their community, and queries standard demographics. The CART survey design encourages the addition of items to address specific concerns for a sponsoring organization and/or the community of being assessed. Survey results provide a snapshot of strengths and challenges that are meaningful for the particular community and for organizations participating in the process.

Overview

Acronym: 

CART

Authors: 
Pfefferbaum, R. L., Ph.D., M.P.H., Pfefferbaum, B., M.D., J.D., & Van Horn, R. L., Ph.D.
Citation: 

Pfefferbaum, R. L., Pfefferbaum, B., & Van Horn, R. L. (2011, 2013 May). Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART) Survey. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma: Terrorism and Disaster Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center.

Contact Information: 

Request information by email at: tdc@ouhsc.edu. Versions of the survey instrument are available in the online CART manual at the Terrorism and Disaster Center website at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center: http://www.oumedicine.com/psychiatry/research/terrorism-and-disaster-center (see Interventions: Community Resilience)

Cost: 
Free
Copyrighted: 
Yes
Measure Type: 
Community Assessment
Measure Format: 
Questionnaire

Administration

Number of Items: 
15-20
Reporter Type: 
Other
Response Format: 

Varies by question. Core community resilience items use a 5 point scale:

1=Strongly Disagree

2=Disagree

3=Neither Disagree Nor Agree

4=Agree

5=Strongly Agree

Materials Needed: 
Paper/Pencil
Computer
Sample Items: 
DomainsScaleSample Items
Connection and CaringPeople in this community feel like they belong to the community. People in this community are committed to the well-being of the community.
ResourcesThis community has the resources it needs to take care of community problems (resources include money, information, technology, tools, raw materials, and services). People in this community are able to get the services they need.
Transformative PotentialPeople in this community work together to improve the community. This community develops skills and finds resources to solve its problems and reach its goals.
Disaster ManagementThis community actively prepares for future disasters. This community can provide emergency services during a disaster.
Information and CommunicationThis community has mechanisms for routinely providing accurate information to residents about local issues. This community has a person(s) who is trusted to deliver accurate information to its residents in time of need or crisis.
Information Provided: 
Areas of Concern/Risks
Strengths

Training

Other Training to Administer and Interpret: 

basic statistical calculations

Parallel or Alternate Forms

Parallel Forms: 
No
Alternate Forms: 
Yes
Different Age Forms: 
No
Altered Version Forms: 
Yes
Alternative Forms Description: 

Optional questions are available to address a variety of issues. Sponsoring organizations and communities can add questions in accordance with their specific interests.

Psychometrics

Clinical Cutoffs: 
No
Reliability: 
Internal Consistency (Cronbach's alpha) of the CART Survey instrument dimensions
ConstructsCRI sample (Fall 2008) CCC sample (Spring 2009)
Connection and Caring0.810.85
Transformative Potential0.800.69
Resources0.920.87
Disaster Management0.850.84
References for Reliability: 

Pfefferbaum, R.L., Neas, B. R., Pfefferbaum, B., Norris, F.H., & Van Horn RL (2013). The Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART): Development of a survey instrument to assess community resilience. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 15(1), 15-30.

Content Validity Evaluated: 
Yes
References for Content Validity: 

Pfefferbaum, R.L., Neas, B. R., Pfefferbaum, B., Norris, F.H., & Van Horn RL (2013). The Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART): Development of a survey instrument to assess community resilience. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 15(1), 15-30

Construct Validity Evaluated: 
Yes
Construct Validity: 
Validity TypeNot knownNot foundNonclincal SamplesClinical SamplesDiverse Samples
Convergent/Concurrentx
Discriminantx
Sensitive to Changex
Intervention Effectsx
Longitudinal/Maturation Effects
Sensitive to Theoretically Distinct Groupsx
Factorial Validityx
References for Construct Validity: 

Pfefferbaum, R.L., Neas, B. R., Pfefferbaum, B., Norris, F.H., & Van Horn RL (2013). The Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART): Development of a survey instrument to assess community resilience. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 15(1), 15-30.

Criterion Validity: 
Not KnownNot FoundNonclinical SamplesClinical SamplesDiverse Samples
Predictive Validity:x
Postdictive Validity: x
Overall Psychometric Limitations: 

Difficult to assess criterion validity given the absence of other validated instruments measuring the resilience of a community to disasters. Further studies are needed to determine the range of scores needed for a community to be deemed resilient.

Translations

Languages: 
English
Translation Quality: 
Language:TranslatedBack TranslatedReliableGood PsychometricsSimilar Factor StructureNorms AvailableMeasure Developed for This Group
1. Spanishxx

Population Information

Population Used for Measure Development: 

Data from four field test samples were used to refine the survey instrument: (1) an initial mixed sample involving faith-based groups in two rural communities (n = 81), representatives of multiple community agencies (e.g., fire, hospitals, mental health, police, public health, schools) in a city of approximately 25,000 residents (n = 48), and community college social work students in a city of 1.5 million people (n = 44) which together created the total sample (N = 173); (2) a sample of affiliated volunteer responders from the Phoenix, Arizona, Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) Program (N=225); (3) a sample consisting of residents in five poverty neighborhoods in Shreveport-Bossier, Louisiana (N=352); and (4) a community sample (drawn to be random, with oversampling in neighborhoods identified as particularly vulnerable) from Abilene, Texas (N=453).

Populations with which Measure Has Demonstrated Reliability and Validity: 
Natural Disaster
Community Violence
Terrorism
Other
Other Populations: 
Not necessarily used with trauma populations but the instrument could ber used for assessment of communities affected by various types of adversity.
Use with Diverse Populations: 
Population Type: 123456

Pros & Cons/References

Pros: 

1. Instrument is theory-based, field-tested, and evidence-informed. 2. It is one of a limited number of available measures of community resilience. 3. The instrument permits the identification of community strengths and challenges based on perceptions of community members.

Cons: 

1. In that the instrument measures the perceptions of community members, it does not provide an externally-based, objective measure of a community’s resilience.

References: 

Pfefferbaum, R.L., Neas, B.R., Pfefferbaum, B., Norris, F.H., & Van Horn RL (2013). The Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART): Development of a survey instrument to assess community resilience. International Journal of Emergency Mental Health and Human Resilience, 15(1), 15-30. Pfefferbaum, R.L., Pfefferbaum, B., & Van Horn, R.L. (2011, 2013 May). Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART): The CART Integrated System. Oklahoma City, OK: Terrorism and Disaster Center at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Pfefferbaum, R.L., Pfefferbaum, B., Van Horn, R.L., Klomp, R.W., Norris, F.H., & Reissman, D.B. (2013). The Communities Advancing Resilience Toolkit (CART): An intervention to build community resilience to disasters. J Public Health Management Practice, 19(3), 250–258. Pfefferbaum, R.L., Pfefferbaum, B., Van Horn, R.L., Neas, B.R., & Houston, J.B. (2013). Building community resilience to disasters through a community-based intervention: CART© applications. Journal of Emergency Management, 11(2), 151-159.

Developer of Review: 
Betty Pfefferbaum, M.D., J.D.