The key to happiness for transgender kids is simple:acceptance.

New research from the TransYouth Project published in thejournal Pediatrics says that children who live openlyas transgender aren’t more anxious or depressed than other kids, solong as they have supportive families.

The report comes on the heels of several studies that highlighthigher rates of suicide and depression in transgender people, raisingconcerns about the mental health of individuals who don’t identifywith the sex they were born into.

Dr. Kristina Olson from the University of Washington led thestudy, telling NBC News, “The thinking has always been that kidswho are not acting gender-stereotypically are basically destined tohave mental health problems. In our study, that’s not thecase.”

The research examined 73 transgender children between the agesof three and 12, as well their own siblings and gender conformingkids as control groups. The study found that the trans childrenaveraged a depression score of 50.1 on a National Institutes ofHealth Scale, not much of a difference from the national norm of50, reports NBC News. Parents were also surveyed on any symptoms ofanxiety or depression exhibited by their transgender children inthe past week.

The research is the first of its kind, acting as the inaugurallarge-scale and national study to examine the development ofnon-conforming youths. The University of Washington team is alsoworking on research about the origins of anti-transgendersentiments, as well continued recruitment for more transgenderparticipants.

The research team will continue to follow the children from thestudy to see how they progress over time, especially as theyapproach their adolescence. Soon, the team plans to direct projectstoward teenagers.

Olson said that while there is still much to learn abouttransgender children, the study shows it’s possible that thisgeneration will be able to live happier lives than theirpredecessors.

“I think they’re proof that you can be a young transgender kidtoday and be happy and healthy and doing just as well as any otherkid,” Olson said in a news release from the University ofWashington. “It’s some good news, finally, which I don’t thinkthere’s much of in what we hear about transgender kids.”