AbstractA mixed‐effects multinomial logistic regression model is described for analysis of clustered or longitudinal nominal or ordinal response data. The model is parameterized to allow flexibility in the choice of contrasts used to represent comparisons across the response categories. Estimation is achieved using a maximum marginal likelihood (MML) solution that uses quadrature to numerically integrate over the distribution of random effects. An analysis of a psychiatric data set, in which homeless adults with serious mental illness are repeatedly classified in terms of their living arrangement, is used to illustrate features of the model. Copyright © 2003 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.