This document reviews the literature from 1949 to the present on psychological effects of husband/father separations and reunifications upon military families. Separations are limited to those that result directly from military duties; divorces, deaths and other permanent separations are not included. The review is organized into two parts, the first examining the psychological effects of husband/father separation and reunification in peacetime and the second examining the same effects during armed conflict (World War II and the Vietnam War). None of the research reviewed related to the Korean War or to any short-term conflicts such as the Grenada and Panama invasions or the recent Persian Gulf War. The research reviewed on peacetime separations suggests that the wife usually experienced an increase in personal problems during the separation and that the children could experience substantial emotional and behavioral difficulties. The literature reviewed on wartime separations included studies of husbands/fathers who were sent into combat, some of whom became prisoners of war (POWs). The research reviewed suggests that exposure to combat increases the likelihood of marital and family problems. For POW families, the literature suggests that length and quality of marriage prior to captivity and the wife's emotional functioning were significantly correlated with how well the family adjusted to reunification. Methodological limitations of the research reviewed are discussed and areas for future research are identified. (NB)