The irruption of COVID-19 has had different consequences on mental health in the youth population. Specifically, the sector made up of university students has suffered an abrupt change of teaching modality because of the pandemic. As such, this paper aims to analyze the impact that COVID-19 has had on different personal factors of students: (i) satisfaction with life; (ii) lived uncertainty; (iii) depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as factors related to academic development; (iv) motivation and the creation of teaching and learning strategies during this period; and (v) the perception of the degree of adaptability to the new scenario brought about by the university system. For this purpose, a cross-sectional quantitative design was advocated through the elaboration of an SEM model, which included 1873 university students from Andalusian Universities (Spain). The results reflected the strong negative impact that the pandemic had, especially on the levels of life satisfaction and the indices of depression, anxiety, and stress of the students. Likewise, the findings reflected the relevance of the correct adaptability on the part of the university to these new circumstances. It is necessary for university institutions to focus their efforts on quality attention to students, in order to establish fluid communication with them and to adapt to their academic and personal needs.
Keywords: COVID-19; academic motivation; depression; higher education; life satisfaction; structural equation modelling.